


sugar and salt

by foreverwonder



Series: in darkness, we lurk. [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, M/M, Minor Violence, Organized Crime, Shiratorizawa, Slow Build, detective!daichi, detective!kuroo, florist!suga, violence only in chp 10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 21:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5263478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverwonder/pseuds/foreverwonder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a dead body was fished out from the waters of Tokyo Bay, Detective Sawamura Daichi and his partner were assigned to the case. What was first thought to be a straightforward homicide turned out to be the prelude to something more dangerous and Daichi vowed to get to the bottom of it.</p><p>He just never expected to fall for the victim’s lover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. bitter

**Author's Note:**

> This is the product of me procrastinating on my studies and trying to take my mind off work. I wanted to write a crimefic and this came out like word vomit, with 26 pages and counting right now. There will be more characters and more ship in later chapters, but I will only tag them once they're in the posted chapters.
> 
> So... enjoy!

He ran.

He ran as fast as he could, all fatigue forgotten as adrenaline coursed through his body, setting his nerves on fire. He could hear them behind him, slowly gaining behind him and he gritted his teeth as he pumped more strength to his legs, willing himself to just _run._

He made a sharp left turn to a small alley before turning again out to a darkened street, hoping to lose those on his tail. It didn’t work and he could still hear the footsteps hot on his heels.

“Fuck,” he growled, stuffing his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone in a tight grip. He continued running, pushing past the pain growing in his chest as he dialled a number he knew by heart.  The call went straight to voicemail and he cursed under his breath, pocketing the phone once again. He then heard a mocking laugh from his pursuer that made his blood run cold.

“Kenji~”

Kenji could feel his heart beating erratically as the pain from his side started to bleed into his consciousness, stabbing him at every pound of his feet on concrete. Forcing himself to ignore the pain, he turned left into another dark alley.

It was a dead end.

He cursed under his breath, wheezing from the strain of running as he dropped his head to between his knees, pressing a shaking hand to his side. The pain of the injury was creeping in now that the adrenaline had worn off and Futakuchi Kenji closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

The running had stopped behind him and he could hear the footsteps approaching him slowly, like predators circling their prey. Then a high cold voice called out to him.

"Kenji~"

Futakuchi sucked in a breath, cringing at the mocking tone. He took a moment before turning to the duo slowly, his trademark sneer gracing his face albeit it looked more like a grimace. He took in the slightly maniac look on the redhead and his more composed brunette partner and smirked.

"Do your worst," he spat out, the pain on his side now in full swing, making his vision swim slightly. He saw them reach into their jackets and Futakuchi closed his eyes.

The last thing he thought of was ash-coloured hair and hazel eyes before darkness overcame him.

 

 

 

Daichi stepped out of his car, shivering slightly at the cold morning air hit him. It's too early for this, he thought as a yawn ripped through him. Blinking back sleep, he took a slight glance at his watch that read 3.34am before observing the area.

The Tokyo Bay was usually crowded with tourists during the day, the man-made island offering many shopping opportunities as well as entertainment. It was only at night when the bright lights are shut off and deserted that the place looked like the ghost town it used to be. Daichi was secretly glad that this case was in the dead of the night, away from prying eyes of the public and under the scrutiny of the social media. Blue and red lights from multiple police cars illuminated the area, giving the area a look of urgency. Officers and paramedics were muttering to each other about the case paid them no need as he walked towards the port, stifling another yawn before spotting a familiar bed of hair.

His partner has his hands deep in his coat pockets, shivering slightly when a strong gust of wind blew past them, making his ridiculous bedhair look worse. Upon spotting Daichi, he nodded him over and smirked when the other man stood beside him.

"You look like shit," Kuroo commented, earning a half-hearted glare from the shorter man. Daichi snorted and rubbed his eyes.

"You would be too if you were called on a case an hour after you clocked out from a 12-hour shift," he shot back and Kuroo hummed in response. They stood side by side in silence for a few moments, watching the paramedics readying the stretcher while the fire department tugged onto something from the waters. It made a loud splashing sound when it hit the concrete before paramedics scrambled to put it on the stretcher. Daichi caught sight a blue and soaking arm covered in open wounds before a blanket was thrown over the corpse and whisked away. He wrinkled his nose slightly at the stench of seawater mixed with something dead and tore his eyes away from the scene to face Kuroo.

"Suicide?"

Kuroo shrugged. "We received an anonymous call regarding a suspiscious activity around the area. Kageyama was first to arrive before he saw the floating body."

Daichi nodded and sighed, feeling the incoming headache from the lack of sleep he knew he would not be getting now. "Do what you need to here. Meet you back at the office."

Kuroo chuckled, "Getting coffee?"

Daichi nodded. "A huge one."

 

 

 

The office was just as it was when Daichi arrived an hour later, having had taken a shower and carrying two large cups of coffee be bought from the nearby store which was always open. It was busy, with colleagues running around about cases of their own and answering the shrill ringing of the telephones.

Daichi walked to the cluster of tables at the back of the room and saw Kuroo leaning back in his chair, feet propped on his table, his attention on the clipboard in his hands. He gave his partner a slap on the head, jolting him out of his thoughts and placed once cup on his desk before sitting opposite him. Kuroo grumbled slightly, putting his feet down although he perked up at the sight of the hot coffee. Daichi snorted and took the clipboard from Kuroo. "So what have we got?"

His partner took a sip of the coffee and smacked his lips slightly. "Futakuchi Kenji, aged 26. Lived in Tokyo. Reported missing two days ago. Well, he's been found though," Kuroo grinned at his own morbid joke while Daichi rolled his eyes, scanning through the deceased particulars.

"Cause of death?"

Kuroo shrugged. "We can rule out suicide. His body is covered with multiple stab wounds and lacerations. We're waiting for more details from Kenma once the autopsy's done."

Daichi nodded in acknowledgement, eyeing the report once more. "No family?"

"Nope, he lived with his lover for a few years. His lover was the one who reported him missing."

"Has she been informed about Futakuchi?"

Daichi heard Kuroo snicker and looked up questioningly at him. His partner smirked.

"Kageyama was supposed to inform _him_ but he was called to another case, so," Kuroo stood, shrugging on his jacket, "we're going."

 

 

 

When they arrived in front of an apartment in one of the quieter neighbourhoods in Tokyo, the sky was lightening up with streaks of pink littering the blue expanse of the sky. Daichi shivered slightly against the wind, although he was much more awake now with coffee running through his veins. The nameplate by the door read "Futakuchi/Sugawara" and he shared a look with Kuroo who nodded before he lifted his hand against the door and rapped hard.

They didn't have to wait long before the soft padding of bare feet could be heard inside and then the landing was turned on. Daichi straightened, digging into his pocket for his badge as the door clicked unlock and he saw Kuroo do the same when the door slowly swung open. Daichi opened his mouth to speak but when his eyes landed on the person at the door, he felt his words die in his throat.

Daichi could certainly say that he was attractive. His features were soft and with his ash-coloured hair and pale skin, he seemed to glow in the dim light. Daichi could not tear his gaze from the other man's sleepy hazel ones and spotted a beauty mark at the corner of his left eye. Daichi must have looked like an idiot, ogling openly at the victim's lover because Kuroo gave a slight cough somewhere behind him and snapped him out of his reverie. Daichi blinked and saw that the other man was looking at the both of them curiously. He cleared his own throat and took a moment before speaking.

"Sugawara Koushi?"

The other man nodded hesitantly, eyes wary as his grip on the doorknob tightened. Daichi pulled his badge up and showed to Sugawara. Kuroo did the same. "I'm Detective Sawamura Daichi and this is my partner Detective Kuroo Tetsurou," Daichi introduced themselves and Sugawara's gaze flicked between them. "We're here about Futakuchi Kenji."

Sugawara jumped slightly at the name and his eyes widened fractionally. He opened the door wider and stood outside his apartment, shivering slightly at the cold and closed the door behind him gently.

"Have you found him?" His voice was smooth, whispered in the silence of the early morning as if any louder it would disrupt the peace. Daichi hesitated and he saw Kuroo shifting slightly from the corner of his eye. The pause seemed to put Sugawara even more on edge as he pressed his arms round himself, sucking in a deep breath.

"Detective?"

Daichi knew he couldn't delay the news any longer. He took a deep breath and schooled his face to a neutral expression. "Futakuchi-san," he began, wincing slightly, "was found at the Tokyo Bay a few hours back. He was pronounced dead on scene." He saw a shudder rippled through Sugawara. "We're... Sorry for your loss."

Sugawara didn't say anything, his eyes now closed with a pained expression on his face. His knuckles were white from the hard grip on his sides and his breathing was starting to get uneven. Daichi stood in front of him still awkwardly, not knowing what to do to comfort the grieving man in front of him. He always hated being the bearer of bad news and it has been a long time since he himself had to visit the victim's family to inform them. He didn't notice Kuroo had moved until he heard him speak.

"Sugawara-san," Sugawara flinched slightly at Kuroo's unfamiliar voice. "You were the one who filed a missing person report two days ago. If possible, we have some questions pertaining to Futakuchi Kenji's disappearance which could help us understand what had happened to him."

Sugawara had curled into himself even more, his breathing even more shaky. His head was bowed, his light hair covering his face but Daichi saw a tear drop to the floor. His heart squeezed uncomfortably in his chest. He said nothing and the only sounds were Sugawara's jagged breathing. Kuroo cleared his throat, "Sugawara-san?"

Sugawara took another shuddering breath before he unwound from himself, straightening himself up and looking at the two detectives with shiny eyes. "I'm sorry," his voice cracked, "but I'd like to be alone right now."

"We understand." Daichi cut in before Kuroo could open his mouth. "We will come by again later." He took out a name card and presented it to Sugawara, who took it with shaky fingers and gave a minute nod to Daichi. Knowing that was it, Daichi gave a bow and turned away from the other man, Kuroo behind him. It was when they reached the stairs that Sugawara went back inside and his door was shut with a click. Daichi left out a long breath he didn't realise he was holding as his body relaxed. He didn't expect the slap to his head by his partner though.

"What was that for?"

Kuroo shrugged, expression unreadable as they walked towards Daichi's car.

 

 

 

"You look terrible."

Daichi glanced up to see his colleague frowning at him, his blue eyes piercing. His dark hair looked windswept - he must have just arrived. Daichi snorted and sighed, stretching his arms out in front of him. If it was Kageyama commenting on how terrible he looked, then must be really bad.

"You don't look too good yourself."

Kageyama stared at Daichi a moment longer before shrugging off his coat and sat heavily at the desk beside him. "My car broke down, and I had three cases since I came in today," he mumbled and buried his head in his arms on the desk, "let me sleep for a bit."

Daichi hummed, reaching out and ruffled Kageyama's hair roughly, earning a tired whine from the younger man. He smiled as he drank his third cup of coffee, eyes back to reading the report on Futakuchi Kenji. As far as he could see, the victim's record was mostly clean, except for a few misdemeanours as a teenager. And it had not been a suicide, so how did he end up dead days after he went missing?

"Daichi-san!"

Daichi was pulled out of his thoughts and his vision was partially blocked by something orange. He pulled back slightly to make out Hinata standing in front of him, eyes bright and fingers around a clear plastic folder. The young intern was practically buzzing with enthusiasm and Daichi felt even more drained. He heard Kageyama mumbled something that sounded like "dumbass Hinata" and shook his head slightly. He smiled at the young man.

"What is it Hinata?"

Hinata grinned. "Kenma asked for you and Kuroo-san! It's regarding an au... autopsy?" Daichi nodded in acknowledgment and Hinata beamed at him, before bouncing off to do his own work. Daichi watched the younger man before sparing a glance at Kageyama from the corner of his eye. The younger detective was no longer napping, his eyes fixed on Hinata's retreating back, his gaze soft.

Daichi could not help the smirk appearing on his face as he turned fully to Kageyama and cleared his throat. The younger detective's eyes met Daichi's and his face turned bright red the moment he realised he had been caught. He gave a glare and groaned before shielding his burning face in his arms, ignoring Daichi's chuckle.

 

 

 

Daichi had now gone thirty-eight hours without sleep - a new personal record. By then he was so pumped with caffeine that it wasn't effective and his stomach had growled in protest from the lack of solid food. Kuroo came back for his next shift and frowned at Daichi. He had insisted Daichi should go home and sleep, but Daichi never liked leaving work undone, so now they were at Sugawara's apartment, waiting for the man in the dining area as clinks of ceramic cups can be heard from the kitchen.

If Daichi had been more awake, he would have taken in his surroundings with more interest. The apartment was kept clean and simple, with framed photographs littering the tabletop of a small cabinet by the wall. Daichi eyed the lone photograph on the table in front of him. He saw a younger Sugawara - features softer and eyes bright - in the arms of an equally younger Futakuchi. The mugshot in his file did the latter little justice- here his eyes bright and grin wide, he looked the perfect balance of adolescent innocence and mischief. Daichi deduced the photo was taken during the first few years of college, and he swallowed a lump forming in his throat at the thought of Futakuchi's corpse lying in the morgue.

"I'm sorry I only have tea to serve." Sugawara's voice rang out as he appeared in the room balancing a tray. Daichi noted his voice sounded nasal and scratchy but his face no longer had any traces of tears. His expression was sombre, making him seem more distant but that was to be expected, Daichi mused.

"It’s no problem," Kuroo replied with a polite smile as he withdrew a small notebook from his inner jacket pocket. Daichi mirrored his partner's action.

Sugawara nodded and served the hot tea before sitting opposite the two detectives, hazel eyes void of emotions. Daichi swallowed and flipped open his notebook and poised his pen. "When was the last time you saw Futakuchi-san?"

Sugawara closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "2 weeks ago," he whispered. "He was going for a business trip."

Daichi nodded and scribbled it down hastily. "What did he do for a living?"

"We own a flower shop together. Kenji was in charge of the back end administration while I deal with the front line service." Every word Sugawara uttered his voice grew softer and his eyes started shining, gaze unseeing into his own tea cup.

Daichi saw Kuroo shift uncomfortably in his seat before asking, "Did he have any enemies?"

Sugawara paused, and then shook his head.

Daichi's own eyes narrowed at the pause, a wave of unfamiliar irritation overcoming him and pressed on. "Sugawara-san, we found him floating in the Tokyo Bay with wounds all over his body." Sugawara stiffened, eyes wide and glassy, still on the tea cup and Daichi saw Kuroo’s head turn to stare at him so fast he thought he had whiplash. He ignored his partner's gaping stare and continued on, "Autopsy reports revealed his lungs were clear of water meaning he didn't drown but most probably-"

"Sawamura-"

"He died from his wounds. Extensive wounds, not excluding internal bleeding and haemorrhage in his brain." Daichi paused to take a breath and his gaze flickered to Kuroo whose face seemed to have lost all colour, gaping at him still. He then looked at Sugawara who was frozen in his seat, tears now falling freely from his glassy eyes. Daichis stomach churned uncomfortably and he felt a slight twinge of guilt for dumping the gruesome details of Futakuchi’s death on his lover's lap. He cleared his throat again, suddenly parched and tried changing tactics.

"Sugawara-san," Daichi began gently, "it is crucial that you cooperate with us if we want to get to the bottom of this case. We need to find the culprit and their motives. I'm sure you would want closure as well."

Sugawara gave no response, although his tears have stopped falling. Kuroo was speechless as well, eyes wide and still staring at Daichi. Daichi waited a few seconds and sighed.

"What did he do on these 'business trips'?" He asked.

It was a long while before Sugawara answered in a shaky whisper. "I told you... He was in charge of all back end administration."

"So you do not know what these trips comprises of?"

"... No."

Daichi jotted down some notes. "Did he have any other business?"

Sugawara finally tore his gaze from the teacup to look at Daichi in confusion.

Daichi rephrased his question. "Is there a possibility that he had other businesses that weren't... Exactly legal?"

Daichi watched Sugawara's confusion melted away to furrowed eyebrows and a downturn of his lips. "Detective," he began, and Daichi noted his voice was stronger. "What are you implying?"

The detective gave a slight cough, his mind trying to backtrack and analyse his question. "We're just-“

"Are you saying that Kenji brought this upon himself?"

There was anger in his voice and Daichi saw the emotion reflected clearly in his red-rimmed eyes. His eyes wide, Daichi stumbled upon words to soothe the situation. "Futakuchi-san-"

"May not get along with most people but he was honest!" The words were spat out in a shout and the anger was rolling out of the fair-haired man in waves. Daichi, shocked by the anger displayed, could merely stare at Sugawara, words dying in his throat. Sugawara, on his end, was breathing heavily. He closed his eyes and slumped back to his seat, seemingly exhausted.

"Please leave," he said, all fight dying out. "I have a wake to prepare."

It was an instant dismissal and Kuroo was the first to stand, keeping his things and bowing stiffly to Sugawara. Daichi did the same and they walked out of the house with Sugawara leading them, no longer looking at them in the eye.

The tea lay forgotten on the table.

 

 

 

It wasn't until they were seated in the car that Kuroo swore loudly.

"What the _fuck_ , Sawamura?"

Daichi kept quiet, eyes fixed ahead as he waited for Kuroo to start the engine. His partner narrowed his eyes and grumbled at the lack of response and slammed his hand on the dashboard.

"That’s it," he gritted out, pulling on his seatbelt, "you are going home to _rest_. And I'm talking to the chief to give you a day off tomorrow."

Daichi spun his head to look at Kuroo in disbelief. "Kuroo-"

"You wouldn't have snapped like that usually!"

It was true. The lack of sleep had made him impatient and irritable and Daichi sighed in defeat, slumping into his seat.

"Fine."

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments, kudos and subscriptions! I honestly didn't expect those after only the first chapter.
> 
> Here's chapter 2. I will try to update this story weekly/bi-weekly.

Daichi walked into the office two days later, well-rested and determined. He found Kuroo slouched over his desk, pouring over his laptop, his wild hair in a disarray.

"Hey," Daichi greeted and Kuroo looked up, smirking as he nodded.

"You’re looking much better."

Daichi nodded. "I was literally passed out the whole day yesterday." There was a hint of silent apology and gratitude at the end of the sentence but it was enough to Kuroo as he smiled at his partner.

"Eh, I'm a kind person," Kuroo smirked and Daichi snorted, picking up the folder on his desk.

"You've ruined the mood," Daichi deadpanned to which Kuroo chuckled before a dark figure flopped onto the chair next to Daichi.

Kageyama slumped in his chair, head resting on the back, eyes unseeing to the ceiling. He was silent for a moment while the other two flipped through their reports. Then he heaved a weary sigh that made him sound older than he was.

"I need a long holiday," he muttered, blue eyes sliding shut as he brought an arm over them. Kuroo hummed in agreement while Daichi shifted his attention to Kageyama.

"You do know you can ask the chief for a partner right? I know you're a genius, but the workload's crazy," Daichi told the younger detective while his partner nodded in agreement.

"You can bring Hinata along or something," Kuroo suggested to which Kageyama snorted.

"I'd rather work by myself than with that dumbass."

"You're going to hurt his feelings if he hears that."

Kageyama didn't say anything to that, his lips pursed, which Daichi thought was a good thing, because Hinata chose that moment to appear next to the younger detective with a bounce in his step.

"Kageyama! The chief is looking for you!" Hinata announced, a grin wide on his face. Kageyama didn't acknowledge it, instead his blue eyes now fixed on the shorter man, a frown tugging at his lips. His staring unnerved Hinata, who suddenly took a few steps back in a defensive position, eyes wide. "W-what? You wanna go, bastard?"

Daichi and Kuroo did nothing to intervene between the two of them, choosing to watch and wait for the younger detective's next move. Kageyama, surprisingly, didn't immediately rise to the bait, choosing to continue staring at Hinata a moment more before standing. "Dumbass," he scoffed and walked away while Hinata let out an indignant squawk. He stood there for a while, eyes on the retreating back of the raven-haired detective and Daichi thought he saw a glimmer of emotion reflected in his big brown eyes. It disappeared almost immediately and Hinata flashed a smile to Daichi and Kuroo before going off.

"Hey, Sawamura," Kuroo started once Hinata was out of earshot, leaning forward on his desk. "Are those two..?"

Daichi hummed and shrugged, a small smile on his lips as he flipped through the folder in his hands again. The grim photo of Futakuchi Kenji stared back at him and a sense of guilt from two days ago washed over him again. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and focused on the task on hand. "Any leads on this case?" He asked Kuroo.

His partner gave what sounded like a long-suffering sigh as he rested his head on his desk. "Nope, I checked out the flower shop yesterday. Nothing out of the ordinary. I also ran a check on Sugawara but he's clean." Daichi's stomach did a lurch at the sound of Sugwara's name. "Futakuchi's body was returned to him as well, so the wake's today."

"Is that so..," Daichi muttered distractedly as his thoughts went to the fair-haired man with tears and fire of anger in his eyes. A slight cough from Kuroo jolted Daichi from his thoughts and he saw his partner had stood up, shrugging on his jacket.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

Kuroo raised an eyebrow not covered by his messy hair. "The wake. We might find something there."

 

 

 

The wake was a small event, Daichi noted when they walked in to find the small number of people already there. Most were around their age.

No relatives were present.

The atmosphere was sombre, dark like the gathering clouds outside. In the sea of black, it was not hard to spot Sugawara at the front. With his light hair and pale skin, it contrasted sharply against his black crisp suit, giving him a sort of glow in the dim room. Daichi could barely make out his expression, lips on a straight line with his eyes fixed on the alter where the priest was chanting.

The two detectives chose to remain at the back, watching quietly. Daichi's eyes never left the back of Sugawara's head.

It was not long after that the wake was over, with the guests standing and making their way to Sugawara individually to give their condolences. Daichi and Kuroo watched as Sugawara removed himself from a hug from a taller man with his hair in a bun to speak with an equally large man with fair-almost white- hair. Daichi noted their serious expressions as they seemed to exchange more than just simple greetings.

Kuroo had left Daichi's side to speak to some of the guests while Daichi remained standing at the back, eyes fixed on Sugawara. His stomach did another unfamiliar lurch.

"Yer a friend?"

Daichi tore his gaze from the fair-haired man and blinked at the shorter man who had spoken to him in surprise. The man was shorter than him, almost the same height as Hinata, with dark hair except for a turf of blond right in front. His features were boyish still, but Daichi could see from his eyes a certain sense of maturity. His gold eyes bore holes into Daichi's being and Daichi shifted uncomfortably at the scrutiny. "Something like that," he mumbled lamely.

The shorter man opened his mouth to say something else but another voice cut in. "Noya," the man with the hair bun called and Noya's gaze relented, turning to the taller man with a smile on his face before skipping to him, Daichi forgotten.

Not that he minded, as Daichi let out a sigh of relief, letting his eyes roam the room before settling once more at Sugawara. He noticed that Sugawara no longer speaking to the bigger man, but there was a slight tension that had settled on the spine of the fair-haired man and the edge of his lips. Daichi was unable to think about it further though, because Kuroo had sauntered back to his side, pocketing several business cards in his inner jacket. "We're all done here. I'll get the car," Kuroo ran a hand through his hair, making it more dishevelled and Daichi nodded.

"I'll wait outside."

He gave Kuroo several minutes while he watched the guests slowly streaming out before he himself left the room to wait outside by the road.

The sky was overcast, the temperature colder than it was a few hours earlier. Daichi shivered, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he kept a lookout for the car. A movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and Daichi turned.

At the opposite side of the road, in front of the park, two men in black suits stood out amidst the greens of the trees. Daichi hadn't seen them during the wake - with their prominent hair colours they were bound to stand out.

They were standing under the shade of the trees. Daichi could tell they weren't here by chance - they were staring directly at him. Daichi stood still as his eyes met a pair of red ones. The man with the spiky red hair curled his lips in a twisted grin as his eyes glinted dangerously.

"Detective Sawamura."

A familiar voice called out to him from behind and Daichi forced his eyes away, turning to find Sugawara walking towards him. The tension in his body seemed to have melted off him but a determined look passed across his features. Daichi waited until the fair-haired man reach him, his mouth forming an apology.

"I'm sorry."

Daichi blinked in surprise, mouth still open as he stared at Sugawara who apologised. Sugawara took no notice of the detective's stunned silence. "I apologise for blowing up at you the other day. I knew you were doing your job. It's just," he paused, frowning, "a shock that Kenji's gone... It was a lot to take in and I wasn't in a right state of mine. I'm sorry." He bowed at Daichi who was now shaking his head.

"No, it was my fault. I was impatient and insensitive to your feelings. I'm sorry," Daichi countered, bowing lower, his stomach churning. He then heard a sharp intake of breath and Daichi wondered if he had offended Sugawara even more. Instead, a soft chuckle broke into the air and Daichi's chest fluttered at the sound. He looked up so see Sugawara straightened up with a small smile on his face, making his beauty mark disappear under the fold of his skin.

"Ah, sorry," he apologised upon seeing Daichi's confused expression, "it's as if it’s become a contest to see who is sorrier."

Daichi's shoulders relaxed when he realised he didn't offend Sugawara as he gave him a weak smile, straightening as well. At this distance, he realised that he was slightly taller and more built than the fair-haired man. "I'm really sorry," Daichi repeated and Sugawara nodded, the small smile still on his lips.

"Same here," then his expression turned serious. "Detective, if you need any more information, I'm willing to cooperate." Sugawara bit his lower lip as a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. "I won't allow the culprit to walk away free after taking away someone dear to me."

Daichi was slightly taken aback by the snarl in his voice as he too became serious. He fished out a name card and a pen. "Sugawara-san," he said, jotting down a line of numbers before presenting the card to him. "I've written down my private number as well. If you have any information regarding Fukutachi-san that could help with the case, do call me."

Sugawara looked at it for a moment before a pale hand reached over to take the card from Daichi. There was a split second where Sugawara's fingers brushed against his and Daichi nearly jolted in surprise at the slight tingle that came from it, his chest thumping hard. He watched the fairer man giving the card another look before nodding at Daichi, eyes set. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the honk of a car.

Daichi turned to find Kuroo waiting and turned back to Sugawara to bid him farewell. "I'll see you around, Sugawara-san," he said and walked to the car.

"Detective!"

Daichi turned to face Sugawara again who gave a slight smile. "Call me Suga." Daichi gave him a smile of his own.

"I'll see you around, Suga," he amended and got into the car while Suga went back inside. Kuroo was giving him a knowing smirk to which Daichi rolled his eyes at.

"I didn't know you got game, Sawamura."

"Shut up, Kuroo."

His partner snorted as he start the car. It was only when they started moving that Daichi remembered about the two men on the other side of the street. He craned his head to look.

There was nobody there.

Daichi scanned the area until it went out of sight before he settled back in his seat, an uneasy feeling washing over him.

 

 

 

It hit him the moment they reached the office.

"Kuroo," he spun around to face his partner who was shrugging off his jacket. "Did you check Futakuchi's belongings?"

Kuroo frowned, eyebrows raised. "Well, yeah but he didn't have anything on him."

"What about the crime scene?"

Kuroo tilted his head, now confused. "Nothing except some blood at the port. No other prints to link to any suspects. It's in the reports, Sawamura."

Daichi didn't hear him, his mind working. "You went to the flower shop yesterday, right?"

"Yeah, but it was closed as expected."

"Did you run a background check on the property?"

Kuroo was quiet for a while. "What are you on to?"

Daichi, looked at him, shrugging off his own jacket. "...A hunch."

Kuroo remained silent, studying Daichi who stared back.

"You're serious," He commented at last and Daichi resisted rolling his eyes. Kuroo nodded, settling himself at his desk and switching on his laptop. "I'm on it."

"Thanks," Daichi grunted, pulling off his jacket. He paused, remembering Suga's interaction with the big white-haired man. "Did you, by any chance, manage to talk to a big guy with white hair at the wake?"

Kuroo's eyes never left his laptop screen as he fished out a name card and thrusted it at Daichi. "You owe me a week's worth of coffee," he said teasingly as Daichi looked at the name neatly printed on the name card.

_AONE TAKANOBU_

_Date Technology Systems_

"You're a lifesaver, Kuroo. Thanks," Daichi smiled and Kuroo waved a hand flippantly.

"You can thank me by buying me my coffee."

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Added more tags for this chapter. Once again, thank you for the kudos, comments and subscriptions!

Daichi had the luck of having both weekends off so he was bright-eyed on Monday morning, sitting in a small cafe called The Blue Leaf. A quaint little place, it wasn't too crowded that morning, with a few tables occupied by studying students from the nearby university. He had ordered a latte, and he was now fidgeting in his seat, waiting.

He didn't have to wait long though, because the door opened with the chime of a bell minutes later, bringing in a draft and a big, burly man. His mean features were at odds with his polite manners, where he bowed at Daichi when he spotted him before settling in the seat in front of him.

"Thank you for meeting me," Daichi greeted and Aone Takanobu grunted, nodding slightly.

Daichi had the impression that Aone was the type who didn't talk much but that didn't deter him from whipping out his notepad and pen, clearing his throat slightly. "As I mentioned on the phone, I'm Detective Sawamura and I have a few questions about the recently deceased Futakuchi Kenji that could shed light to what has happened to him."

Aone nodded at that, eyeing the notepad for a moment before calling a waitress to order a drink. Daichi waited until his drink was served and the waitress has left before he started. "Aone-san, how long had you known Futakuchi-san?"

"...High school."

"Were you close?"

"Volleyball club." Aone's answers were short and direct, and Daichi could see it might take a while to coax some real answers from the bigger man. He didn't voice his thoughts, choosing to just write whatever he deemed as important as he continued to ask questions.

 

 

 

The sun was getting brighter in the late morning and the temperature outside warmer. Daichi sat at the cafe still, drinking his second cup of tea as he reviewed his notes. Aone has left half an hour ago, and Daichi had been using the time to get his thoughts in order.

He learned a lot about Futakuchi Kenji. Captain of the volleyball team in his third year, he went on to university and graduated with a degree. He was supposed to work at Date Tech after graduating along with Aone but suddenly opened a flower shop with Sugawara three years ago. Aone didn't know of their relationship until then and admitted to have been wary of Sugawara at first. Daichi had raised an eyebrow at this confession. Millions of thoughts were running through his head.

How had Aone not known about Sugawara until the opening of the flower shop? This was considering the fact that Aone and Futakuchi had been close since high school.

Why did Futakuchi decide to throw away his career at Date Tech for a small shop?

Could the flower shop's existence be linked to the disappearance and subsequent death of Futakuchi Kenji?

The shrill ringing of his phone snapped Daichi out of his thoughts. Fumbling, he glanced at the caller ID and answered.

"Sawamura."

"Hello~ I'd like a cup of Americano and Kageyama here wants a double shot espresso ASAP," Kuroo's playful tone crackled in his ear and Daichi rolled his eyes as he heard the smirk on his partner's face. He chose to not respond to that and changed the subject.

"What have you got about the flower shop?"

He heard Kuroo hum and heard the rustle of paper in the background. "O-kay, so Sugawara said that he and Futakuchi opened the flower shop right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I ran a check. The flower shop was opened three years ago but neither of them is the owner."

Daichi frowned, eyeing his own notes. "What do you mean?"

Kuroo hummed softly and Daichi heard more rustling of paper and then a muffled yell of "Dumbass Hinata!" in the background. He heard Kuroo shouting at Kageyama to shut up before he resumed talking to Daichi.

"Well," he began tentatively, "the flower shop belongs to one Ushijima Wakatoshi."

The name brought Daichi’s notes to a screeching halt. “Wait, _what?”_

His tone of surprise made his partner on the end of the line pause. “You know the guy?”

“N-no, not exactly. Kuroo, don’t you know who Ushijima is?”

“Nope.” His response was blunt, and Daichi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What? So this guy is a criminal?” Kuroo prodded.

Sighing, Daichi slid lower into his seat, resting his head on the back of the chair. “His name came up a few times in cases. Head of the Shiratorizawa Corporation, one of the biggest and most influential groups in Tokyo. There’s been all sorts of rumours about him going around for ages.”

“So why isn’t he behind bars yet?”

“Because there has never been any concrete evidence to link him to any crimes,” Daichi knew this of course, because of a high-profile case of the death of an employee of Shiratorizawa Corporation a year back. With no leads and suspects, the death was ruled a suicide, and the case was closed.

Kuroo was silent on the other end of the line, and Daichi could practically hear him thinking. “Sawamura..,” he finally spoke, “do you think there’s a connection here?”

Daichi weighed all the information in his head carefully. “… Possibly,” he muttered, “Nothing is concrete, and this is _the_ Ushijima Wakatoshi, it’ll be hard to find any dirt on him.”

“Shouldn’t we pass this case to another department then?”

Kuroo’s suggestion caught him off guard before he thought about it. If Ushijima was indeed involved, this case would no longer be simply a murder case. Most probably the organised crime department would take over or they may work on the case together. His mind unintentionally went to Suga.

“Kuroo, have you told anyone about this new information?”

“… No. I’ve only just got it.”

Daichi’s hand tightened on his phone. “Good. Don’t tell anyone, especially the chief, yet.”

“ _What?”_ Kuroo half-yelled into the phone, and Daichi winced. “Why not?”

“… Nothing’s concrete, we can’t bring all these up without evidence,” Daichi replied lamely. Kuroo was silent for a few moments. “Kuro-“

“Is this about Sugawara?”

For the second time today, Daichi was caught off guard by his partner’s question. He thought of Suga again and could not help the heat crawling to the tips of his ears. “Of course not,” he sputtered, not sounding convincing at all. He could almost hear the disapproval in Kuroo’s voice as he sighed wearily.

“Sawamura,” he began slowly and Daichi straightened his back; the tone Kuroo used was the one he usually reserved for giving pep talks to Daichi. “I know you haven’t gotten laid in a while-“

“That’s not what this is about-!”

“- _and_ as your partner and friend, I do want to help you get some-“

“Kuroo,” Daichi growled threateningly. He could feel his whole face burning and his knuckles were white from gripping his phone too tightly as he slid into his seat further.

Kuroo thankfully, stopped, chuckling a little. “Fine, fine,” he conceded, and Daichi could hear the sound of a folder hitting the desk. “I’ll close my eyes on this. I do hope you know what you’re doing.”

Daichi let out a sigh of relief, standing up to shrug on his jacket. With the current information he has, he planned to pay a visit to a particular flower shop. “I hope so too.”

 

 

 

Gold eyes tore from the screen of his phone to the chair in front of his desk, currently occupied by a tall man, with messy hair. The said man was leaning comfortably, stretching his limbs and his eyes closed, enjoying the air-conditioning of Kozume Kenma’s office. He reminded him of a cat and Kenma put his phone away to address his best friend.

“Kuro.”

Kuroo mumbled, cracking an eye open, a smirk grazing his lips. Kenma did not smile back, eyes on Kuroo, expression neutral. They held eye contact for a moment before Kuroo gave in, leaning his head back, and hand running through his hair. “Five more minutes,” he mumbled and Kenma frowned.

“You said that five minutes ago.”

Kuroo gave a whine, not moving. Kenma sighed.

“You’re done with your shift, right?” he asked the detective who pinched his forefinger and thumb together into an Okay sign. Kenma frowned still, thinking.

“… Did you and Kei fight again?”

Kuroo’s reaction was instantaneous. He snapped his head back up and stood up, gold eyes wide in surprise. “N-no!” he stammered. At Kenma’s unwavering stare, Kuroo’s shoulders slumped, and a long sigh escaped him. “I’m just giving him space,” he mumbled, gaze faraway.

The blond said nothing to that, blinking as he brought his phone in front of him. The office was silent, save for the tapping of Kenma’s fingers onto the screen of the phone. Finally, Kenma broke it.

“Whatever you did, make sure you apologise to Kei.”

The detective nodded, straightening and waving to Kenma goodbye.

“I know.”

 

 

 

Clover Florist was situated at one of the smaller streets in Shibuya, tucked neatly at the corner. Its bright cheerful sign at the top of the shop stood out from the grey of the building, its glass display filled with an assortment of colourful flowers and plants. It was conspicuous, and Daichi took a moment to appreciate the quirky beauty of the flower shop in the streets of concrete Tokyo. He stood across the road, eyeing the flower shop hesitantly when he saw the door swung open and someone walking out.

The individual was tall, Daichi could see, with broad shoulders and a mop of sandy hair. His eyes were heavily lidded and his expression was passive as he tucked his hands into his coat pockets at the chilly wind. He looked familiar and Daichi took a second before he remembered.

He remembered the duo by the park on the day of the wake, this man with the redhead. He stilled, eyes sharp like a bird watching its prey as he watched the man observed his surroundings for moment, missing Daichi, before entering a nondescript car down the road and driving off. Daichi exhaled slowly, mind processing what he had just witnessed.

The appearance of the two men on the day of the wake was no coincidence.

Rubbing his frostbitten face with his gloved hand, Daichi gave the exterior of the flower shop one final look before walking over to it.

The inside was as warm as how the outside looked. The saturated colours and scents of the flowers filled every corner of the shop, with flowers Daichi recognised and some foreign. It was well kept and he could tell the shop was treasured dearly. His eyes landed on the counter at the back, where he saw Suga attending to a case of flowers, his back to Daichi. He cleared his throat, signalling his presence and Suga turned, smile soft in his face.

"Welcome- oh, hello, detective," a look of surprise flitted through the fair-haired man's face before the smile was back in place, soft and warm and Daichi felt a tingle run through his spine at the sight of it.

"Hello," Daichi managed out, giving the florist a smile of his own. Suga's smile widened minutely and he went back to give some final touches to the vase on hand before moving out if the counter to where the detective was standing.

"So," Suga started, his voice light, as he clasped his hands in front of him, all smiles. "What brings you to my humble shop?"

Daichi could not help but let his eyes roam all over Suga's face, brushing over his beauty mark a few times. When his eyes made contact with hazel ones, he fought down a blush threatening to crawl up his face as he gave a slight cough. "I was in the area, and I had some questions in regards to the case," he replied, trying to push aside his personal attraction to the florist and retain his professionalism.

Suga's playful demeanour gave way to something serious as he straightened his back, but his smile never left his face. "Ask away, detective."

Daichi paused, his mind on the man from earlier. "Who was that man that left the shop earlier?"

Suga's smile remained fixed on his face, though there was a slight tension to it that wasn't there before. He studied the detective's face, worrying his bottom lip and Daichi's eyes followed the motion. Then Suga smiled. "A regular. He comes and goes sometimes, usually looks for Kenji," he replied and Daichi resisted the urge to frown.

That man didn't have a single flower on him but Daichi let it slide for now, running a hand through his short locks before continuing. "Did Futakuchi-san ever told you whose name was on the property of this shop?"

Suga was deep in thought at the question. "Now that you mentioned it, he said something about that, but the name slipped out of my mind. I didn't question him though," he responded eventually and Daichi nodded, taking out his notepad to jot that some notes. Suga watched him for a moment, a playful smile on his lips. "You seem to have a lot of things to write about, detective."

Daichi shrugged. "It helps in case I miss out something the first time round."

He heard Suga hum and there was a moment of silence as Daichi continued writing when-

"You never asked for my number."

Daichi's reaction was instantaneous. He jerked, causing his pen to fly across his notes as he sputtered, face red, facing Suga who was laughing. His voice was light and Daichi thought he glowed, with his eyes crinkling, his beauty mark covered.

"I'm sorry," Suga gasped as he tried to control his laughter. "It's just fun to tease you, detective. You always seem too stiff around me."

Daichi was positive his face was flaming red as he closed his gaping mouth, trying to keep his train of thought. It was futile and he took a deep breath, willing his blush away. He didn't dare look at Suga in the eye who had finally stopped laughing and was sobering up.

"Sorry," the fair-haired man whispered, eyes now wide with worry as he tried to catch the detective's eye. "It was a bad joke, I stepped out of line-"

"It's fine," Daichi finally found his voice, locking eyes with Suga and giving him a small smile to show he wasn't angry. It mollified Suga, who gave him a shy smile in return. The moment was broken by the ringing of Daichi's phone, revealing a text message from Kageyama demanding for his espresso. Daichi mentally cursed the younger detective before pocketing his phone and notepad.

"I have to go back to the station," Daichi said, clearing his throat and he thought he saw Suga's expression fall slightly. The florist nodded in understanding as he led the detective out.

"I'll see you soon then," Suga muttered, giving him a practiced smile and Daichi nodded. He had one foot out of the door before he paused, turning back to face a questioning Suga. A surge of bravery ran through him.

"Next time," he began, fighting down the heat crawling up his ears. "I'll ask for your number properly."

The pink blush that spread across Suga's dumbfounded face was worth it as Daichi all but ran out the shop.

 

 

 

Kuroo crackled, spewing his pasta across the table as he fought not to choke on his food. Daichi eyed the bits on the table with disgust, nose wrinkled. His partner thumped his chest hard, coughing and reached for his glass of water, downing its content in one gulp. There were tears of mirth in in eyes and Daichi fought against rolling his own eyes as he continued eating his lunch.

It was one of those days where Daichi and Kuroo were on the same shift so they decided to grab lunch at the store near the station where the pasta was said to be the best in town. That was when Daichi decided to tell Kuroo about what happened with Suga a few days ago at Clover Florist. Looking at Kuroo's reaction now, he almost regretted telling his partner.

"Sawamura," Kuroo finally wheezed out, smirk so wide as though holidays came early. "You seriously got game."

Daichi glared, muttering a "shut up" at his partner as he absent-mindedly twirled his pasta on his fork. He saw Kuroo lifted his fork to his mouth but thought better of it before he continued. "You should just go for it, dude."

"I can't," Daichi muttered, frowning at his food.

"Why not?"

"It's... Inappropriate." Kuroo snorted. "Besides, it's Futakuchi's lover."

Daichi had thought about it the whole time. How he wanted to return to the flower shop and just make his move. But he remembered Futakuchi Kenji, and he remembered how broken Suga had looked upon hearing about his death and Daichi knew there was no way he could take advantage of a grieving lover.

Kuroo watched him intently, quiet as Daichi remained deep in his thoughts. Kuroo was no idiot to how Daichi felt about the florist. But Daichi was the type to back off the more he pushed, so Kuroo sighed, going back to his food. "If you say so," he mumbled between forkfuls of pasta shoved in his mouth.

Daichi looked up and eyed Kuroo. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Kenma told me about you and Tsukishima."

Daichi saw Kuroo stiffen before he placed his fork back gingerly on the table. He locked gazes with Daichi, expression serious.

"... I asked Kei to move in with me."

That surprised Daichi. He knew Kuroo and Tsukishima had been going out for a while now, and he had heard Kuroo gushed about the younger man many times. Kuroo had always said he didn't deserve someone like Kei but Daichi could tell his partner really cared for Tsukishima.

Kuroo was now running his hand over his face, eyes closed as a pained look overcame his features. "I asked him 2 weeks ago, since we've been going out for years you know? I thought it was the right time," he mumbled and Daichi was taken aback by how vulnerable his usually cocky partner looked.

"What did he say?" Daichi asked tentatively.

Kuroo exhaled slowly, brows furrowed. "That’s the problem," Kuroo began, frustrated. "He didn't say _anything_. Every time I bring up the issue he evaded me, saying he's busy with graduate school. I don't know what I should do so I just... Backed off. Gave him a bit of space." He huffed a breath, his face in his hands and Daichi felt sorry for him. He reached out tentatively and gave him a comforting pat on his shoulder. Kuroo took in shuddering breath and slowly removed his hands from his face, sad. They sat in silence for a while, lunch forgotten until Daichi's phone rang.

It was Kageyama. "Chief wants to know if you're going for the stakeout later," his deep voice went through and Daichi imagined the younger detective, as zombified as he was when he saw him this morning, pouring over his reports, frown etched deep into his face.

"On it," Daichi responded, grabbing his belongings and standing up. Kuroo followed suit. When they reached the car, he turned to Kuroo.

"Hey," he said softly, giving him a pat on his back. "It'll work out with Tsukishima."

"You're really bad at comforting people," Kuroo retorted, although he looked grateful. "Thanks though."

 

 

 

Daichi had thought about the case after his meeting with Suga and finally decided to report to the chief his theories. He also requested to not be removed from the case, stating that he wished to see it till the end. The chief agreed, and told him to look for the organised crime department should he need any help.

Which was why they were currently on a stakeout at Shiratorizawa Corporation. Daichi was following a hunch, after seeing the man at the flower shop. Kuroo had raised an eyebrow on this but didn't question Daichi as he leaned against the steering wheel, eyes sharp like a cat's.

There were some sort of activity happening outside the building. Daichi saw several black cars that were of similar model as the one he saw before. Groups of men in suits walked in and out of the building, looking intimidating. Kuroo noticed the unrest as well, humming in thought.

"They seem a bit restless huh," he commented and Daichi agreed.

"Yeah."

Just as he said that, the doors to the building opened again and the man with sandy hair came out, eyes lidded and lips pulled in a frown. A look of irritation passed the man and Daichi saw the source of it. An equally tall man had stepped out as well, red hair spiked up and mouth twisted in an ugly grin. Daichi remembered the glint in his eyes on the day of the wake and he shuddered involuntarily. The two detectives watched them engage in a brief conversation before they parted ways, each entering a car of their own before driving off.

"Well," Daichi broke the silence in the car after a few moments. "Looks like Shiratorizawa Corporation is involved in this somehow."

Kuroo nodded, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "We could try digging up a list of the high ranking personnel in Shiratorizawa to see if we could identify those two, but..."

"But?"

Kuroo turned to Daichi, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Those kind of information is above our pay grade."

Daichi groaned, slumping in his seat. Perfect.

"Unless… we have someone outside the force with those kind of information."

Something clicked in Daichi's mind and he turned to Kuroo, smiling slightly. "I have the perfect source."

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments, kudos and subscriptions once again!
> 
> This chapter is one of the shortest, but!! I've pretty much drafted out the whole story. Thank you for sticking around!

_The sun had set, the orange and pink hues of the sky giving way to the dark blue blanket. Darkness took over the apartment, the soft lights from the outside, just barely illuminating the silhouette in the room. He didn't bother to reach for the lights, instead remaining on the floor, back against the wall and knees drawn to him. He had been sitting like that since the funeral, still in his still black suit that contrasted sharply against his pale skin and hair. His eyes were unfocused, his mind elsewhere._

_A bark from the neighbour's dog broke the silence that swallowed the neighbourhood, snapping him out of his daze as well. Hazel eyes sharpened, he strode over the cabinet, digging through boxes of belongings until he found what he was looking for. He stared at it for a moment, the tiny thing that could have the potential to hide something important - or dangerous - while he remembered what the owner of the flash drive had told him the last he saw him._

_Should anything happen to him... He gripped the item tightly, walking to his desk to switch on his laptop. He hadn't bothered with switching the lights in the room, but the laptop had lightened the room more considerably, bathing him with bright lights and making him look more washed out against his suit. He took a deep breath and slotted the flash drive into the USB port._

_A single folder was all there was in the drive._

_He hovered his cursor over, hesitating a second, before clicking open the folder. His eyes widened when he saw the content. His hands shook as he brought one up to cover his mouth, breath shaky. All of a sudden everything was starting to make sense._

_In his darkened room, Sugawara Koushi stared at the screen of his laptop, eyes wide as he exhaled shakily. "Kenji," he whispered into his hand as fear settled in his stomach. "What have you_ done _?"_

* * *

 

 

True to his words, Daichi didn't go back to the flower shop to see Suga. He threw himself into his work, taking over some of Kageyama's smaller cases along the way. The younger detective was grateful and he had been turning up to work less grouchy, although his attitude towards Hinata remained the same. There had been no new progress to his main case, although he and Kuroo continued to stake out outside Shiratorizawa Corporation, watching the crowds of men in suits growing increasingly restless.

Days off were far and few and Daichi spent every single one of them running errands. He stepped out of his apartment one cold morning, shivering slightly as he made his way to the supermarket further away from his home - there were certain things he needed that the other supermarket didn't stock. He was mentally running through his grocery list as he stepped into the supermarket when he literally ran into Suga.

It had been weeks since he has seen the florist and Daichi realised he missed him. He missed the wisps of hair against the pale skin of his forehead. He missed the chocolate brown eyes that were now wide, locking gazes with him. He missed the beauty mark that sat high on his cheekbone, dark against his skin.

Most of all, Daichi didn't realise how much he missed his voice.

"Detective," Suga breathed out and Daichi felt his stomach did a flip.

"... Hey," Daichi's mind was a blank, his feet planted firmly into the ground as his eyes never left Suga's. The fair-haired man smiled softly as his surprise melted away and Daichi could not help the smile that formed on his own face.

"I thought you were avoiding me," Suga accused, his voice light to show he wasn't serious, a pout on his lips. Still, Daichi felt guilt crawling in his chest as he let out a shaky laughter. He had been avoiding him as he tried to bury his feelings. Suga's face fell slightly at his response, brows furrowed. "What's wrong, detective?"

_Everything_ , Daichi wanted to tell him. Wanted to pull him into his arms and memorise his lips, his face, his mole. But he remembered the tears in his eyes, and the shake of his body as he held himself the morning Futakuchi was found and Daichi clenched his hand into a fist, willing to keep his feelings down and expression neutral.

"Nothing," he replied eventually, moving around Suga to continue his shopping. "I'll see you around."

"Aren't you going to ask for my number?" There was a tinge of hope colouring Suga's light and joking voice and Daichi exhaled a shaky breath, a pained look on his face as he turned to the florist one last time.

"I'm not."

That was a rejection if not anything. He saw Suga's expression fell, his shoulders slumped. Then he pulled himself together and gave Daichi a tight smile. "I was joking," his said, voice unusually high. "I've got to go now. Bye." He turned away and Daichi saw his smile disappear, but he didn't stop Suga as he walked away.

 

 

 

"Dude, you look worse than before your day off."

Daichi glared at Kuroo who was standing at the door of the private room of the izakaya, smirking. His partner slid to the tatami floor next to Daichi with a grunt, ordering a bottle of sake for the table.

"What happened?" He asked the moment the waitress left.

Daichi sighed, swirling his drink in his cup absent-mindedly. "…I bumped into Suga yesterday."

"Well, shit."

Kuroo's reply pretty much summed up the encounter and they sat in awkward silence a few moments before the door slid open to reveal their third and final company for the evening.

He was shorter than Kuroo but broader than Daichi. His black hair were spiky all over, eyebrows draw downwards to give him a perpetually angry face. His eyes were lighter than his hair and clear as they scanned the room before landing on the two detectives. His lips that held a lit cigarette was pulled to a grin and he stepped in, sliding the door shut.

"Long time no see, Sawamura," he greeted while the two detectives jumped to their feet.

"Iwaizumi," Daichk greeted back, shaking the man's hand. Iwaizumi Hajime nodded to Kuroo before they all settled themselves around the table. Iwaizumi order his beer and they waited until the waitress' footsteps faded before he spoke.

"So," he procured a thick folder, sliding it towards Daichi and Kuroo. "I did some digging on Shiratorizawa as you requested." Daichi opened the folder and the serious face of Ushijima Wakatoshi greeted them. With his clean cut hair, thick eyebrows and a frown on his face, Ushijima Wakatoshi was the epitome of seriousness. Kuroo looked over his shoulder at Ushijima's photo and whistled.

"So that's Ushijima," Kuroo commented and Daichi nodded. "Guy looks like someone who can't take a joke."

"He can't tell what a joke is even if it slaps him across the face," Iwaizumi growled, blowing the smoke to his side, stubbing his cigarette into the ash tray. Kuroo snorted at that and took a sip of sake while Daichi flipped through the folder.  There were other pictures of Ushijima, mainly walking in and out of Shiratorizawa Corporation, shaking hands with other important people, and then-

His eyes landed on a photo of the sandy-haired man and his redhead partner. They were with Ushijima, deep in conversation and Daichi noticed this was the only picture of where Ushijima looked... Uneasy. He pulled the photo out of the folder and nearly shoved it in Iwaizumi's face.

"When was this taken?" He asked and Iwaizumi blinked once, craning his neck to better see the photo.

"This was recent... About three days ago if I'm not wrong," he said as he placed an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

"Who are those men with him?"

Iwaizumi took out his lighter, lit the cancer stick and took a drag out of it. Daichi tried hard not to toss the damn thing away while Kuroo looked on.

"They're a few of Ushijima's most trusted personnel. There are others but I don't have any information on them. These two are the more common ones I see handling Ushijima's affairs if he's not available."

"Kawanishi Taichi and Tendou Satori," Iwaizumi continued, pointing to the sandy-haired man first and then to the redhead. "They've been with the company for years, since Ushijima became the CEO in fact."

Daichi was quiet throughout, now staring at the photo, deep in thought. His expression was serious that Iwaizumi quirked an eyebrow.

"I've seen them..," Daichi began. "Outside during Futakuchi's wake and at Sugawara's flower shop."

"Sugawara?"

"Futakuchi's lover," Kuroo supplied and Iwaizumi grunted in understanding. "Who Sawamura currently has the hots for," Kuroo continued, smirking. Iwaizumi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Whoa, Sawamura. It's been a long while since I've heard something remotely interesting about your love life," Iwaizumi said in jest and Daichi glared at Kuroo who was now snickering.

"It's not like that," he coughed slightly, keeping the heat from seeping to his ears. "Is there anything else you found?" He turned his attention to Iwaizumi, who was blowing smoke at his side.

The private investigator nodded, taking a swing of his beer. "Not exactly concrete information, but I've heard rumours."

"What kind of rumours?" Kuroo asked, arm propped up on the table, head in his hand.

Iwaizumi took another drag of his cigarette and continued. "I heard that Shiratorizawa Corporation isn't doing too good these days."

"Really?" Daichi asked, frowning.

Iwaizumi shrugged, looking at Daichi seriously. "Rumours said they're going bankrupt."

 

 

 

They parted after another hour, with Iwaizumi grumbling to them about the recent case he picked up ("Guy's convinced he's being stalked by aliens. Aliens!") before bidding them farewell, promising to update them if he found anything else.

They were in the car, Kuroo driving, and Daichi broke the silence.

"Kuroo," he said, and Kuroo tilted his head towards him, eyes fixed on the road. "Do you feel lonely if you don't see Tsukishima?"

There was a beat of silence before Kuroo replied, voice slightly shaky with emotion. "Every single second," he whispered, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

Daichi said nothing after that, looking out the window, thoughts far away.

"You should go and see him."

Daichi turned to Kuroo who had spoken, eyebrows raised. "But-"

"Sawamura," he cut Daichi off. "It really has been a long time since you're this interested in someone." They stopped at the red light and Kuroo turned to him, a kind smile on his face. "Don't use this case as an excuse."

Daichi was silent after that, tearing his gaze from Kuroo to stare out the window. He imagined Suga's smiling face and his chest tightened. "... Um."

Kuroo laughed, as he did a right turn. "Awesome. Go see him now."

Daichi realised where they were headed and turned back to his partner in surprise. "Wait-"

"Nope!" Kuroo sang. "The shop's still open. I'll cover for you at work. I can start digging for info on Kawanishi and Tendou."

Whatever Kuroo wanted to do, he would do it and Daichi could get annoyed at his partner. With a small smile, he settled back into his seat, heart hammering.

 

 

 

Clover Florist stood out even more in the evening. Its brightly coloured display cast beautiful shadows on the sidewalk, making the place look welcoming and almost magical. It was half an hour before the store's closing time and Daichi stood at the opposite side of the road, trying to gather his wits. Kuroo had left moments ago with a smirk and a good luck and he was grateful for a partner like him, no matter how annoying he could be at times. He took a deep breath and walked to the shop.

He paused at the display, peering in. He saw Suga by the counter, working on a display of paper white daffodils, a look of melancholy apparent in his face. His gaze was faraway, his hands moving on autopilot at the flower arrangement and Daichi felt a flutter in his chest. Taking a deep breath, Daichi pushed open the door and walked in.

The chime of the doorbell snapped Suga from his thoughts and his voice died in his throat when he saw Daichi. Eyes wide, he saw conflicting emotions fleeting across his face as he struggled to put back his professional mask. Daichi cut him off when he saw his mouth opening.

"Hi," he mumbled, almost shyly and he saw Suga's mask slip off his face, eyes bright and lips trembling.

"What are you doing here?" The daffodils lay forgotten on the counter as Suga whispered, his confused gaze locking with Daichi.

The detective took a step forward and he was glad to Suga didn't try to back away or evade him so he walked towards him, eyes never leaving his until he was a comfortable arm's length away. His heart was beating wildly against his ribs but Daichi was no longer hesitating.

"I've changed my mind," Daichi said without hesitation and Suga's eyes widened in surprise, lips parted and Daichi just wanted to pull him into his arms. He balled his hands into fists by his side, his gaze unwavering. "Can I?"

Suga collected himself, taking a sharp breath, blinking up at Daichi. There was a glimmer of hope in his hazel eyes. "Can you what?"

"Get your number." Daichi was said it so seriously that Suga could not help but let out a snort of laughter. He didn't seem offended by the florist's reaction, smiling at him softly instead, gaze tender. It took Suga's breath away as he calmed himself down, returning his own shy smile, the tips of his ears red.

"Yes."

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a hard chapter to write... I got stuck on this for a while.
> 
> Enjoy!

Kageyama eyed Daichi suspiciously. His eye twitched and his nose wrinkled with irritation.

"What's with that look?" He asked not too nicely and Daichi had to remind himself how awkward Kageyama could get in social interactions. He smiled wide at the younger detective who took a tentative step back, still suspicious of Daichi.

Before Daichi could say anything however, Kuroo materialised behind Kageyama, leaning onto the younger detective with a knowing shit-eating grin on his face.

"That, Kageyama-kun," he drawled, his grin stretching wider at each word. "Is the face of a man who's experiencing the blossoming of spring."

Kageyama cocked his head in confusion - "But it's almost winter." - and Daichi wanted nothing more than to strangle the life out of his partner. Mentally plotting Kuroo's death, Daichi flashed another smile at Kageyama who flinched. "How're your cases, Kageyama?" He asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Kegayama brightened up. "Closed a case late last night," he said nonchalantly but Daichi could see him buzzing with excitement. "Once I'm done with the report I'll be done for the day."

Daichi nodded while Kuroo whistled, seemingly impressed. His grin never left the face. "You've been working hard, huh?" He said, ruffling the younger detective's hair roughly, earning a squawk from him. Kageyama ducked from under Kuroo's hand, trying to pat his hair down.

"Not really," he mumbled, eyes averted and Daichi saw a tinge of pink on his cheeks. He then excused himself quickly before either of his seniors could question him further. Daichi and Kuroo watched him trip on his own feet before heading to the Chief's office.

"Hmmm," Kuroo hummed, settling at his desk, feet propped up. Daichi focused his attention in him.

"Any luck on Kawanishi and Tendou?"

His partner shrugged. "Not much, it’s just that they've been to school with Ushijima and has been working at Shiratorizawa since graduation. But," he paused, sorting through his pile or reports on his table to pull out a thin folder. "Tendou has a bit of a run-in with the law a few years back for assault. Out on bail. Doesn't hurt to follow them for a bit, though."

Daichi nodded in agreement, typing up his report. His partner has gone quiet, and he could feel Kuroo's gold eyes on him. He ignored the prickly stare for a while, focused on completing his report.

"So, how did it go?" Kuroo finally broke the silence, feet planted on the floor as he leaned his upper body on the desk towards Daichi, grin wide.

Daichi feigned ignorance as he continued typing. "How did what go?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

Kuroo's voice was teasing and Daichi tried hard to keep a smile from forming. He wasn't going to tell Kuroo that it had been well, that Daichi had gotten Suga's number without much difficulty that night a week ago and that he's been visiting the flower shop after his shifts just to talk to the florist.

That Daichi had enjoyed their time together, the conversations they've had and he was always looking forward to seeing the pale-haired man. They've formed a comfortable friendship and he's learnt new things about Suga. That he came from Miyagi as well, and that he had a teaching degree. He'd came across Futakuchi in high school volleyball tournaments and it was only when they found out that they were in the same university in Tokyo that they had hit it off.

Daichi's stomach always did an uncomfortable flip whenever Futakuchi came up, the feeling of guilt of the case and his attempt at wooing his lover looming over him. But Suga's bright smile and clear hazel eyes made the guilt bearable as he always smiled back, eyes warm at the fair-haired man.

He must have been pretty deep in his thoughts because Kuroo was positively leering at him when Daichi finally snapped out of it. He tried to push his blush down and proceeded to give his partner a half-hearted glare. He turned back to his report but he no longer had the mood to continue. Sighing, he decided to leave it for later and sat back in his chair, eyes wandering around the office.

He spotted Kageyama now out of the chief's office, looking around. Daichi wondered what - or who - he was looking for when Kageyama's face suddenly brightened and then saw the younger detective trying to act nonchalant. It didn't take Daichi long to realise he was looking at Hinata who was bouncing up to him, eyes big and a tinge of pink dusting his cheeks. They were standing awfully close and Daichi raised an eyebrow, wondering when _that_ happened.

"What are you looking at?"

At the sound of Kuroo's voice, he tore his eyes away from the two, hoping his partner hadn't managed to follow his line of sight. Knowing Kuroo, he would probably tease the two of them mercilessly.

"Nothing!" He stammered, giving a weak laugh but it was too late. Gold eyes widened a fraction and thin eyebrows rose.

"Oh ho ho?"

Daichi winced, bracing himself for the teasing he expected from Kuroo but there was nothing. Confused, he turned to Kuroo to find him watching them, lips quirked into a small smile, gaze soft.

"Kuroo..."

"Hm?"

"What are you scheming?"

Surprise flitted across his partner's face as he tore his gaze from the two younger man to stare at Daichi. "What do you mean?"

Daichi took a deep breath, stealing another glance at the duo in conversation before looking at Kuroo seriously. "Don't... Don't tease them too much," he finished lamely and watched his partner raise an eyebrow.

"I'm not scheming anything," he said neutrally, turning to look at Kageyama and Hinata, now bickering with each other. "I'm not that mean."

Daichi was unconvinced. "You're always teasing me."

"That's because you're hopeless - you need a shove or you'll never get laid." The retort was swift and merciless and Daichi cringed visibly. He gave a slight cough, unable to counter what Kuroo said and his partner said nothing else. Sighing, he turned his attention back to his report, not before taking a glance at the newspaper on top of Kageyama's desk.

He started.

The face of one Ushijima Wakatoshi stared back at him, eyes serious and mouth parted as though in the middle of a speech. Daichi grabbed the paper immediately, report forgotten, and smoothed it out to read the headline.

 

> **SHIRATORIZAWA CORPORATION TO LAUNCH NEW ANTIBIOTICS BY MONTH END**
> 
>  
> 
> In an impromptu press conference held at Shiratorizawa Corporation yesterday morning, CEO Ushijima Wakatoshi announced that the company will be launching a new type of antibiotics for the public consumption by the end of the month. This antibiotic will be launched across Japan for the first-line treatment of serious bacterial infections, offering patients an alternative to the similar drugs already in the market.
> 
> The antibiotics is said to include several components that allows the drug to take into effect quicker than their rival antibiotics that are in the market. “We hope that this new drug will help fight infections and bacteria faster than ever, so that patients will be able to reduce the number of sick days for maximum work performance,” Ushijima stated in his conference.
> 
> This is the first for Shiratorizawa Corporation in the medicinal field. Shiratorizawa Corporation is best known to be the biggest manufacturer of sports gears in Japan. The company has expanded its focus in other fields ever since Ushijima becomes CEO such as housewares and gardening tools...
> 
>  

Daichi scanned through the article, blood pounding in his ears. Kuroo must have realised his tense silence as he looked up from his own report, concerned. "What's wrong, Sawamura?"

He said nothing, passing the paper for Kuroo to read and putting his hands in front of him, thoughts all jumbled. Iwaizumi had mentioned that Shiratorizawa was rumoured to be going bankrupt... Could his sources be wrong? With the amount of money used to create such a super drug in secret...

He was pulled back from his thoughts when Kuroo shoved the paper on to his desk having finished reading, a frown on his lips. He looked at Daichi and gave a weary sigh.

"This case is giving me a damn headache," he said finally, groaning as he tugged on his messy hair. "We have a dead guy with no eyewitness, two suspicious guys working in Shiratorizawa, rumours on bankruptcy and now the company entering the medical scene with a new drug," he exhaled heavily and looked at Daichi once again. "Can you see any links? Because I can't."

Daichi sighed as wearily and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He definitely needs a cup of coffee, maybe more if this case continues to drag. "Maybe we're looking at it wrongly," he murmured, eyes closed. "Maybe we need a new angle."

"A new angle, huh," Kuroo echoed, hands on his face as he tilted to face the ceiling. He paid no heed to the hustle and bustle of the office, though he occasionally could pick out his colleagues’ voices over the din. He heard Hinata's indignant squawk, Matsukawa's low droning, Akaashi's polite tone -

Kuroo snapped his head up, eyes wide. "Sawamura," he called out and Daichi cracked an eye open. "Akaashi!"

Daichi raised an eyebrow. "Akaashi?" He repeated, clearly confused. "What's up with him?"

Kuroo shook his head, eyes wild as he remembered a crucial detail. "The death of the Shiratorizawa employee a year ago," he began, eyes locked on Daichi. "Was Akaashi's cold case. We could get the files from him and reopen the case."

Daichi stared at his partner with widened eyes. "Then we'll have a reason to question them..." He muttered, hand covering his mouth, eyebrows scrunched in concentration. "But we don't have evidence that link them to Futakuchi's murder."

"I'll question Tendou," Kuroo said, eyeing Tendou's file with his nose scrunched up in dislike. "Something doesn't sit right with this guy for me," he continued, standing up and shrugging on his coat. Daichi stood up too, but Kuroo stopped him.

"What?" Daichi asked, eyebrow raised. Kuroo looked at him before looking at the clock pointedly.

"It’s almost the end of your shift," Kuroo said.

"So?"

Kuroo frowned. "I'm not bringing you with me."

"What?" Daichi frowned.

"You stay here and talk to Akaashi first until your shift ends while I go to Shiratorizawa first," Kuroo said in a tone that left no room for argument that Daichi almost pouted, scowling at his partner.

"Fine."

 

 

 

Daichi found himself standing opposite Clover Florist an hour and a half later, in the darkened cold evening, after he had spoken to Akaashi regarding the cold case and the younger detective agreeing to pass the details of the case to Kuroo once he returned to the office. Akaashi had a thoughtful look when they spoke about the case.

"It was one of the weirder cases we had," Akaashi had said, his heavily-kidded eyes piercing. "There were hints of foul play, but the evidence wasn't concrete enough to lead to any suspects." He had then locked gazes with the older detective. "You're going to solve this case?"

Daichi had explained his and Kuroo's theories on the possible links to the case and Futakuchi's death and Akaashi had nodded understanding, agreeing almost immediately to look for the case files for them.

"Thanks, Akaashi," Daichi smiled, waving as he clocked out from his shift and Akaashi politely nodded.

The chime of the bell from opposite snapped Daichi out of his thoughts and he looked up to see the person leaving the flower shop.

It was Kawanishi.

Daichi narrowed his eyes, stepping quietly into the small alley between the buildings behind him, shielding him from the lights of the lampposts. His eyes never strayed from the sandy-haired man, who was turning left and right as though checking his surroundings. His face, usually impassive from the few times Daichi had seen him, was rumpled with a tinge of impatience and irritation. His eyes scanned past Daichi's hiding spot twice before he turned and hurriedly walked away from the street, hands deep in his coat pockets and lips pulled to a frown.

Daichi stood still for another minute or two, until he was sure Kawanishi wouldn't return before he stepped out from the alley into the orange lights of the streets. He frowned, thinking.

He would be an idiot to think that Kawanishi came to Clover Florist to buy flowers. He looked at the unsuspecting flower shop, warm lights spilling from the glass display onto the sidewalk with eyebrows furrowed. There wasn't anyone else out and about the street in the cold evening, so Daichi crossed the street towards the shop, peering at the glass door into the shop.

He spotted Suga at the counter, with a vase of flowers in front of him. His hands were unmoving, clenched hard at the countertop and his hazel eyes that looked as dark as chocolate at that moment was framed with angry eyebrows. His lips were pulled to a frown and his whole posture reminded Daichi of the time he saw Suga speaking to Aone during the wake - tense.

Daichi stepped back from the glass door for a bit, schooled his features into a smiling one and entered the warm shop with a chime of the bell. Suga looked up and immediately his serious expressions was replaced with a polite one, though Daichi could see a slight tense in the muscles of his lips.

"Daichi," Suga greeted him, eyes crinkling as his hands unclenched and were now busy with the vase of flowers in front of him.

"Hey," Daichi gave him a small smile as he walked around the shop, trying to act nonchalant. He heard Suga hum contentedly and looked over his shoulder to see the florist carry the complete vase, a smile on his face.

"I'm almost done. Give me ten minutes to close the shop and we'll grab dinner."

Daichi had almost forgotten that they planned to have dinner together since his shift ended about the same time as the flower shop closing time. He grunted in response, his eyes still fixed on Suga. He watched as the smile slipped out of the fair-haired man's face as he turned to enter the back room, his eyes darkening into almost black, determined. It was at that moment that Daichi's suspicion was confirmed.

Suga was hiding something.

 

 

 

The sun has set fully, blanketing the area in darkness, though the orange hues from the streetlamps gave enough lighting to those outside. The building that housed Shiratorizawa Corporation was illuminated, and Kuroo watched employees leaving the building in a steady from the car, having ended their hard day at work. His kept his gold eyes trained on the entrance, his arms on the steering wheel as he leaned forward. He looked like a cat watching a prey, waiting for the opportune time to present itself before he made his move.

He watched until the stream employees trickled down until only a few was left in the building, he was sure, who were working overtime. He narrowed his eyes, rolling his shoulders that were becoming stiff from his posture. He thought of calling it a day, since his target was not in sight when Tendou came out from the building.

Taking a deep breath, Kuroo watched the redhead walked a couple of steps from the building entrance before digging his pockets in search for something. A cigarette was on his lips not a second later and Kuroo promptly got out of his car, crossing the street quickly before walking towards the redhead whose back was at him. He took out his own unlit cigarette and cleared his throat, catching Tendou's attention and he turned to regard Kuroo.

From the old mugshot of Tendou in his folder, Kuroo thought he looked weird. His opinion hadn't changed when he was met with the heavy-lidded, bugged out eyes, the scrunched nose and his lips that was curled in an impish grin. The way he showed his expression looked exaggerated and even with the grin, Kuroo could see a glint in Tendou's eyes, telling him to not underestimate this man. Kuroo gave him a smirk and held up his unlit cigarette.

"Got a light?"

Tendou looked at Kuroo up and down and his grin widened. "Sure," he said, his cigarette on lips as he fished for his lighter before passing it to Kuroo. The detective lighted the cigarette before returning it to the redhead.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Tendou said, watching Kuroo from the side of his eyes. "I've never seen you around here before."

Kuroo gave him a smile. "I'm just here on business," he said vaguely, making a show of looking at the Shiratorizawa Corporation building. "You work here?" He asked, changing the subject.

Tendou eyed the dark-haired man before nodding. He didn't say anything as he took another drag of his cigarette and exhaled. Kuroo did the same, and decided to prod more.

"How long have you been working here?"

The redhead was now looking at the road, eyes unmoving as he continued to smoke. He replied a moment later, "Since graduating from university."

Kuroo hummed, glancing sideways at the other man. Tendou didn't make any other effort to talk but that didn't bother the detective. He cleared his throat.

"So," he began and saw Tendou's attention was now back on him. "You guys are releasing the new antibiotics huh."

"Yeah?"

Kuroo nodded, whistling. "Must have been tough, having to jump fields."

Tendou sneered at him and shrugged. "Wakatoshi-kun's a capable leader. It's all for the sake of expanding the corporation."

The detective nodded, trying to look impressed. "This must have taken a few years, right?"

The redhead hummed as he took another drag of his cigarette. "Two years... Two and a half, I think? It took a while but we're getting there," he said, his tone light but something glinted in his eyes that made Kuroo's gaze on him sharpen. "We're getting there," Tendou repeated and chuckled humourlessly.

Kuroo decided to push him further. "I don't suppose the death of one of your employees last year could be related to your company's expansion into the medicinal market?"

He smirked inwardly when he saw the other man pause, cigarette barely touching his lips. He turned, his bulging eyes narrowed on Kuroo. "I'm sorry, who did you say you were?" He asked, tone still light.

Kuroo took out his badge and showed him. "Detective Kuroo Tetsurou, we're currently reopening the case on the death of that employee," he began.  "... As well as looking for connections to another recent case."

The other man looked at his badge before his eyes flickered to Kuroo's face. "So am I in any trouble right now?"

The detective chuckled. "No you're not. At least," he paused, gold eyes narrowed on the other man as he smirked. "Not yet."

Tendou licked his bottom lip as he dropped his cigarette onto the ground, crushing it under his shoe. He eyed the detective once more sizing him up. "Kuroo Tetsurou," he repeated, a grin appearing on his face that made warning bells ring at the back of Kuroo's head. "I'll be sure to remember that." And with that, Tendou Satori turned, walking away for Kuroo languidly and disappearing into the crowd at the end of the street.

Kuroo watched him go until he lost sight of the other man before putting out his cigarette with a sigh. He should keep a close eye on him, he decided.

 

 

 

It was well into the night when he returned to his dark and silent apartment. His smile has long slipped from his lips when he parted with Daichi and the warmth of the dinner had turned cold, weighing down from within him. Standing at the threshold of his home, he made no attempts to switch on the lights. He bit his lower lip in thought, his hazel eyes staring unseeingly ahead into the dark apartment.

This was getting dangerous for him.

He knew that the moment Kawanishi had entered the flower shop again today, his usual patience absent. He had left with a threat coloured in his voice and he knew he had to act fast before this gets worse.

Fishing out his mobile phone from his jacket, he looked through his contact list until he found the one he was looking for and tapped to dial. The ringing tone went for a while before it connected. There was silence on the other end for a moment before a low, gruff voice spoke out.

"Aone."

He sucked in a shaky breath, eyes still staring into his darkened apartment though now focused, his grip on his phone tightening.

"It's Sugawara," he said lowly. "I need a favour."

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Thank you once again for the kudos, comments and subscriptions!

"Yo, Akaashi."

Dark eyes that were on his laptop screen looked up to find Kuroo standing in front of his desk, a smirk on his face. Akaashi noted the bags under his eyes and the more dishevelled dark hair of his colleague.

"Kuroo-san," he nodded in greeting as he opened a drawer to pull out a thick folder. "I've pulled out the case files that Sawamura-san had requested for earlier." He handed it to the older detective who hummed in appreciation.

"You're the best, Akaashi."

Akaashi ignored the compliment and studied Kuroo intensely. "You look like you've seen better days."

Kuroo chuckled. "Well, the job does that to us sometimes." He opened the folder to find a picture mousy looking man looking at him. He sighed and closed the folder to look at the younger detective, whose heavily-lidded eyes were still on him. "How's Bokuto?"

Slightly surprised by the sudden change in topic, Akaashi raised an eyebrow. "... Fine. He should be back in Japan in a few days," he replied, his tone flat.

Kuroo chuckled and gave him a two finger salute as he turned to leave. "Tell him I said hi, and let’s meet up for drinks once he's back."

"Will Tsukishima be coming?"

Kuroo froze for a moment, his back to Akaashi before recovering. Giving a small smile over his shoulder, Kuroo said, "I'll bring him."

 

 

 

Daichi eyed the Shiratorizawa Corporation building wearily. Under the afternoon sun, the building was inconspicuous, blending into the countless buildings in the streets. He got out of the car, wincing at the cold wind that blew past him. He heard the other door of the car slam shut and saw Kuroo walking around the car to stand beside him, shivering slightly under his coat. His lips curled in distaste as he followed Daichi's line of sight and sighed.

"Let's go," he muttered and Daichi nodded.

The lobby was warm, which came to the two detectives as a relief. With a high ceiling, the minimalist decor screamed classy, and Daichi felt slightly intimidated being there. He spotted the receptionist and the two of them made their way to her.

"Good afternoon," Daichi greeted and flashed her his badge - with Kuroo doing the same. "I'm Detective Sawamura and this is Detective Kuroo. We need to have a word with Ushijima Wakatoshi regarding a case we have."

The receptionist eyed the two men wearily, and tucked her blond hair behind her ear before nodding. "Just give me a moment," she said, picking up her phone to intercom the office. Daichi nodded and turned to face Kuroo. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed the dark circles under his partner's eyes.

"You nag at me about not resting but you're pretty much the same," Daichi told him disapprovingly to which Kuroo gave a short laugh.

"Don't worry about it, Sawamura. It’s my off day tomorrow," he flashed a grin and Daichi pretended to look annoyed, rolling his eyes exaggeratingly.

"Ushijima-san will see you at his office."

The receptionist's voice brought them back to the lobby and they headed to the elevator, nodding at the receptionist in thanks.

"So," Kuroo spoke once the doors closed with only the two of them inside. "How shall we go about doing this?"

Daichi cleared his throat, getting his badge out. His eyes determined and his mouth was pressed to a thin line. "Like we always have," he replied, before glaring at his partner sideways. "So do _not_ provoke him."

 

 

 

Daichi thought it was safe to say that photos do not do Ushijima Wakatoshi justice.

Talk, broad and _big_ , Ushijima was much more intimidating in real life. Daichi was no means of a slight build, having gone to the gym with Kuroo whenever they have the same days off, but standing next to Ushijima made Daichi feel like a kid. He could sense Kuroo's hesitancy as well having seen Ushijima up close.

His dark, short cropped hair screamed business, his thick eyebrows framing his sharp eyes, Ushijima regarded the two detectives curiously from behind his desk. He stood and strode over, bringing out a hand in greeting.

"Welcome, detectives. I'm Ushijima Wakatoshi," his deep voice rumbled, his words articulated and his grip firm in Daichi's as they shook hands. Daichi nodded and cleared his throat, his posture straightening.

"I'm Detective Sawamura and this is my partner Detective Kuroo," he introduced themselves and Ushijima nodded once at Kuroo before inviting them to take a seat as he settled behind his desk once more.

"What can I help you two with?"

Kuroo spoke out, eyes trained on Ushijima. "We're actually here about the death of one of your employees a year back. Fukunaga Shouhei, pronounced dead on scene in front of the building. He fell from a great height."

The bigger man raised an eyebrow. "Wasn’t his death ruled a suicide? I gave my statement regarding this case to the detective in charge, I'm sure."

Kuroo gave a quick nod and continued. "Yes, but that was due to the lack of evidence that suggested any foul play. However, we've recently came to believe that Fukunaga's death was not suicide but in fact a homicide." He took out a photograph and Daichi saw it was of Futakuchi Kenji before sliding it on the table to Ushijima. "Do you recognise this man?"

Daichi watched Ushijima looking down at the photo, expression unreadable. He flicked his gaze up to Daichi and then to Kuroo. "Yes," he replied shortly, leaning back on his chair. "He's the owner of Clover Florist."

Kuroo nodded, clearing his throat. "He was the owner. We found him in the Tokyo Bay a few weeks ago. He was announced dead on scene."

Ushijima raised his eyebrows. "Is that so..." He muttered, expression still unreadable.

Daichi stepped in. "Ushijima-san," he called out and Ushijima shifted his attention to the detective. "Where were you the morning of October 13, Tuesday, between midnight and 3am?"

The bigger man blinked slowly, adjusting himself on his seat. "I was at home, sleeping of course," he said simply and Daichi heard Kuroo gave a soft snort. He chose to ignore his partner.

"Can anyone confirm that?"

Ushijima nodded. "My live-in housekeeper. I could give her contact number if you like."

"That would be great," Kuroo nodded as he leaned over to take Futakuchi's photo from the table. "What was your relationship with the deceased?"

"Strictly business," Ushijima replied without hesitating. "They bring in rare plants and flowers at times and I would get my PA to purchase them for me.”

Daichi frowned. "Ushijima-san," he asked, "Are you aware that you are listed as the owner of Clover Florist?"

Ushijima mirrored his frown. "Of course I'm aware, detective. Futakuchi-kun had come to me years back when he was setting up the shop for financial help. I figured the flower shop had potential and simply... Aided them." He said and then he stood up, causing the two detectives to follow suit.

"I'm an extremely busy man, detectives. Please." He pulled out a name card and handed it to Daichi. "If you have any more questions, feel free to contact my lawyer, Shirabu." Daichi took the name card wordlessly and gave a short bow. He saw Ushijima studying him for a moment and glanced at Kuroo a short while before opening the door to lead the two detectives out.

"Have a nice day," Ushijima greeted curtly before closing the door to his office.

"That went well," Kuroo muttered to Daichi a few moments later as they waited for the elevator. Daichi shrugged.

"Could have been better," he told his partner just as the elevator doors opened with a ding. They entered the empty elevator and Daichi pressed the close button. He looked up just in time to see Tendou Satori from a distance, lips curling into an ugly smirk, eyes wide before the doors closed.

 

 

 

"I think Suga's hiding something."

They were in the car when Daichi spoke. Kuroo paused, eyes sliding to look at him for a moment before going back on the road, where they were driving back to the office.

"Hiding something? Like another lover?" Kuroo asked jokingly and Daichi was torn between rolling his eyes and shoving his partner on his side. He settled on rolling his eyes since his life was currently in the hands of his partner's driving. The mood in the car turned sombre however once they had settled down and Daichi frowned, thinking back on what he saw yesterday.

"I think he knows something about this case that's he's not telling," Daichi said lowly.

Kuroo hummed thoughtfully as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Honestly, Sawamura, this whole case is like a stab in the dark," he said and paused for a while before asking. "Are you going to confront him?"

Daichi didn't reply immediately, deep in thought. He could ask Suga directly, since he was the detective in charge of this case... But his newfound friendship with the slighter man was making him hesitant; he enjoyed being around Suga and he didn't want the case to ruin it.

"What would you do?" He asked Kuroo, eyes watching the road. He saw his partner sparing him a quick glance from the corner of his eyes before he himself concentrated on the road.

"I," the taller man began, and Daichi turned to find Kuroo's focused gaze, his lips turned down as if thinking hard on Daichi's question. "I wouldn't confront him directly until I'm certain, I think. But I'd try coaxing it out if him."

Daichi stared at Kuroo a moment longer, letting his words sink in before settling to look out the road again. "That sounds exactly like what you'll do," he muttered, earning a soft chuckle from his partner.

"It's your decision," Kuroo said before letting the silence settle between them for the remainder of the ride.

 

 

 

"Daichi-san!"

The detective was talking to Kageyama when he heard the shrill of Hinata's voice above the din in the office. He heard a faint "dumbass" from Kageyama before turning to find the short intern literally bouncing towards him, a wide smile on his face. He wasn't alone, however. Daichi's eyes settled on the familiar silver hairs and hazel eyes and froze momentarily.

Suga gave a shy smile as he and Hinata reached Daichi and Kageyama. "Hi," Suga greeted simply and Daichi, wide-eyed in surprise, stammered.

"What are you doing here?" He blurted out, apparently too surprised to think through his words carefully. It didn't put Suga off though, who gave a tinkle of a laugh, amused at the detective's reaction.

"I came to find you," he said simply, a soft smile on his face and opened his mouth to continue but stopped as though he had just realised that Hinata was still in front of him fidgeting, eyes sparkling and a soft blush on his face, looking at the florist in awe, and Kageyama looking at Suga, torn between confusion and irritation at the shorter intern's reaction. Suga directed his soft smile at Hinata and gave a pat on his shoulder. "I couldn't find you when I came so Hinata here was kind enough to lead the way," his smile widened and Hinata let out a squeak, before returning a shy smile.

Daichi could feel waves of irritation being emitted from Kageyama beside him and elbowed the younger detective in his ribs as subtly as he could. Kageyama, grunted, apparently having gotten the message. Rubbing the bruised area, he scowled at Daichi who looked at him blankly before he turned back to Suga, giving the fair-haired man a nod in greeting. Suga returned the gesture, his smile still on his face as his hazel eyes flickered between the younger detective and Daichi. Kageyama gave a slight cough, having caught the florist's intention.

"Hinata," he called out to the shorter man and once his attention was at the raven-haired detective, Kageyama beckoned him over as he walked back to his desk. Hinata nodded once before he turned back to Suga. "See you around, Sugawara-san!" He waved cheerfully before running to catch up to Kageyama. Suga waved back and he and Daichi watched the two of them until they were well out of earshot.

Daichi turned to look at Suga once again. They locked gazes and he saw the nervousness in Suga's smile that wasn't there earlier. His posture was relaxed, different from the tenseness he had sense the night before. Now that he had gotten over his initial surprise at the florist's appearance, he was curious to Suga's intentions. He tried to ignore the fluttering feeling in his chest. "What about the flower shop?"

Suga's smile widened, his eyes crinkling and Daichi watched his beauty mark disappear into the fold of his skin. "It was a slow day so I decided to close early. I had an errand to run around the area anyway," he explained, opening his hazel eyes to lock onto Daichi's for a second before looking away. Daichi's stomach did a flip.

"I see," Daichi muttered lamely, eyebrows raised, still confused as to why Suga was _here_.

Suga must have realised his confusion because he started fidgeting, suddenly shy as he peered at Daichi from under his eyelashes and Daichi thought he looked cute. "I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a drink tonight, after your shift," his voice was steady despite his reddening cheeks.

Daichi was taken aback. He hadn't expected Suga's invitation and could not help it when he felt his ears heat up. He cleared his throat and looked at everywhere but Suga. "A bit early to be drinking, don't you think?" He stammered and mentally cringed. God, he sounded like an awkward teenager. Suga laughed and Daichi gazed was drawn back to the fair-haired man.

"Only if you think that 9.30pm is too early to be drinking," Suga said, a hand over his mouth to hide his smile while his eyes sparkled. Daichi tilted his head, confused for a moment before his eyes landed at the clock on the wall. He started, realising it had been hours since his shift ended. Suga laughed again at Daichi's incredulous look, who rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. Daichi coughed slightly.

"I'll get my coat," he said and Suga nodded in acknowledgment, telling the detective he would wait outside, smile still present on his face.

Daichi walked briskly back to his desk, keeping his things and shrugging on his coat. A figure walked towards him and he jerked his head up to find Kuroo standing, holding a plastic coffee cup. Daichi eyed the coffee cup with distaste before taking in his partner's haggard appearance. "Your shift ended hours ago," he remarked and Kuroo shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm doing overtime today," he replied before his eyes flicked to the entrance. Daichi knew he must have seen Suga. They exchanged knowing glances and Daichi left.

"Don't overdo it," he called out over his shoulder and saw Kuroo nodding absently, eyes already on a report.

 

 

 

The Crow's Nest was located a few train stations away from the police station, tucked away in a small alley fifteen minutes away. Ran by two of Suga's friends from high school, the bar's revenue was said to be due to regulars rather than casual customers.

"There aren't usually many people here but it's relaxing," Suga told Daichi as they opened the door to the bar. They breathed a sigh of relief at the warmth the bar offered, sheltering them from the frigid winds of the oncoming winter. Suga shut the door and Daichi let his eyes wander around The Crow's Nest.

It was a small bar, dimly lit by orange sphered lamps littered on the walls and tables.  Plush, mismatched furniture were scattered around the floor around the bar, and Daichi thought it looked more like a darkened cafe than a bar. However it was undeniably cozy, and Daichi could feel himself relax upon seeing small groups of people huddled around tables, unwinding after a long day.

Suga led him towards the bar counter where it was currently manned by someone with a shaved head and a mean look in his eyes. When his eyes caught sight of Suga however, his expression brightened as he waved wildly.

"Suga-san!"

Suga chuckled as he waved back, taking a seat at the counter while Daichi followed suit. "It's been a while, Tanaka," he greeted back, a genuine smile on his face. The barman named Tanaka grinned back before his eyes settled on Daichi curiously. "Ah," Suga noticed Tanaka's gaze, "This is Sawamura Daichi." He introduced them and Tanaka held out a hand to him which he shook.

"Noya-san's at the back, I'll get him now," Tanaka address them and ran to the back, shouting for "Noya". Daichi heard another excited voice shouting back and looked at Suga, cocking an eyebrow. Suga chuckled.

"They tend to get excited," he said simply before hurried footsteps could be heard and a shorter an appeared at the doorway, dark hair spiked up with a turf of dyed blonde at the front. With his leather jacket and on top of a red t-shirt and tight skinny jeans, he was the very picture of wild, and Daichi noted with a start that he recognised the shorter man.

"Suga-san!" He exclaimed excitedly, jumping high up in the air and Suga laughed at the shorter man's antics.

"Good to see you again, Nishinoya," he greeted Nishinoya who all but climbed onto the counter to give the fair-haired man a one armed hug, who laughed in surprise.

"You haven't been here in a while!" Nishinoya exclaimed again once he let go of Suga before his eyes flickered onto Daichi. Daichi watched the younger man's eyes widened, mouth agape as he pointed at the detective. "Ah!"

Daichi smiled uncertainly at Nishinoya while Tanaka walked over, watching Nishinoya curiously. "What is it Noya-san?"

"You were at the wake!" Nishinoya exclaimed, his voice just as loud as he continued to point at Daichi who was beginning to feel self-conscious. Luckily Suga decided to step in.

"Nishinoya, it's rude to point at people," he chided the shorter man who promptly dropped his hand, looking like a child who was just scolded. "This is Detective Sawamura Daichi," he continued. "Daichi, this is Nishinoya Yuu."

Nishinoya grinned at Daichi gripping his hand confident as they shook hands. Daichi was surprised at the grip the shorter man had but merely nodded in greeting.

They settled and Suga ordered two beers, for himself and Daichi - "it's my treat," he told him, winking - and they made light conversation among themselves and with Nishinoya and Tanaka. Daichi was particularly amused by the stories about the two barmen's antics in high school that often got them into trouble with their volleyball captain and coach.

Suga, too, was not spared from the embarrassment.

"Suga-san may look like an angel but he's actually an enabler," Tanaka mock-whispered to Daichi.

"Don't let his charms fool you!" Piped Nishinoya who ducked when Suga leaned over the counter to swipe at his head, cackling.

Suga huffed, plopping himself back on the barstool, crossing his arms and pouted as the two barmen continued to laugh. The florist's expression was so endearing that Daichi could not help the low rumble that started from his chest that became the loud laughter escaping him. Suga looked scandalized.

"Daichi, not you too!" He whined while Tanaka and Nishinoya high-fived each other.

"One less victim of Suga-san's charm!" They cheered as Daichi continued to laugh.

Suga looked at the three of them back and forth before huffing out a breath of annoyance. "I'm going to the bathroom," he announced, and walked with whatever dignity he had left, leaving the other three to calm down.

The laughter died down a second later, and no one spoke for a moment. Daichi could feel the smile still on his face while he continued to nurse his beer. He felt Nishinoya's eyes on him but he didn't make the effort to make eye contact until the shorter man spoke.

"I'm happy for Suga-san, though," Nishinoya stated and Daichi looked at him questioningly. "It's not always that he brings his special someone here," he clarified, smiling cheekily.

Daichi shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "We're not like that," he mumbled, feeling the tips of his ears heat up. He prayed the two barmen hadn't noticed. They didn't, instead Tanaka cocked his head to side, a perplexed look on his face while Nishinoya arched an eyebrow, brown eyes never leaving Daichi.

"Really," Tanaka remarked and Daichi tried his best to nod without getting flustered.

The two men exchanged a glance before Nishinoya heaved a heavy sigh, plonking his head on the counter. "Oh man," he groaned while Tanaka shook his head resignedly. Daichi felt that he was missing out on something.

"What?"

Tanaka eyed Daichi critically before answering, "It's rare that Suga-san is serious about the people he dates."

"Well, not since he and Futakuchi broke up about a year and a half ago," Nishinoya injected, expression serious. "We just want him to be happy."

"Sorry, Daichi-san, for assuming. We thought you two were together," Tanaka continued, waving a hand absently. "You two looked pretty good together."

Daichi didn't say anything to the shaved man's statement. In fact, he hadn't heard what Tanaka has said at all. His slightly buzzed mind was still processing what Nishinoya had said. His eyes widened as he vaguely heard the two still in conversation.

"Wait," Daichi raised a hand and the two barmen paused to look over at him. "What do you mean they broke up?"

Nishinoya stared, confused for a moment before understanding his question. "Oh, Suga-san and Futakuchi called it off a year, almost two years ago. Something about them being better as friends, according to Suga-san," he clarified, eyeing Daichi carefully.

"But they live together?"

"Yeah," Tanaka replied, shrugging. "They were roommates during university and decided to live together after graduating. They weren't weirded out by it after their breakup, what with their flower shop business and all."

Daichi's heart was pounding hard against his ribcage. His mind was whirring, thoughts jumbled and he felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders.

Suga wasn't with Futakuchi.

_Suga wasn't with Futakuchi._

He didn't know how he really felt about this - his stomach was doing flips but his mind was on the blue faced Futakuchi when he was fished out of the Tokyo Bay. He looked up to see the two barmen still watching him, unusually silent.

"Did," Daichi began, coughing slightly. "…Has Suga ever talked about his flower shop business with you?"

Tanaka opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Suga returned, taking a swig of his beer without sitting down. The conversation was forgotten as the two barmen acknowledged the fair-haired man's presence, who pretended to still sulk at them. He turned to face Daichi and Daichi felt his heart stop when his gaze was locked with Suga's hazel ones.

"Daichi," Suga addressed him. "We better leave if we want to catch the last train. Daichi looked at his watch in surprise; it was getting pretty late into the night. He nodded and stood up, gathering his coat. Suga followed suit and he bode Nishinoya and Tanaka goodbye.

"Say hi to Asahi for me," he smiled good-naturedly and soon they two found themselves walking towards the train station.

Neither spoke, with Suga humming a tone under his breath while Daichi was trying to sort his thoughts.

Suga was single.

Suga living together with Futakuchi because of their business.

Suga's terrified face when Daichi and Kuroo first visited him to bear the news of Futakuchi's death.

Futakuchi going missing before turning up dead.

Kawanishi's appearance at Clover Florist.

Suga's serious and tense expression when speaking to Aone at the wake.

"Something on your mind?"

Suga's light voice brought Daichi out of his thoughts. He turned to face the florist. In the cold night, Suga's pale skin and fair hair seemed to glow, giving him an ethereal appearance. His cheeks were flushed pink and Daichi suspected it was also part due to the alcohol he had consumed earlier. Daichi thought his own cheeks were red as well. When Daichi didn't reply immediately, Suga frowned, tilting his head inquisitively.

"Daichi?"

Daichi decided to blurt the first thing on his mind.

"You never said you and Futakuchi weren't a couple."

Suga's eyes widened, lips parted as a look of confusion passed over his face. "I didn't?" He asked, and looked thoughtful. "I must have forgotten to mention that," he said, now looking at Daichi from under his eyelashes and the detective could not help but think that Suga was _really_ cute.

He cleared his throat and averted his gaze. "Well, with the way you reacted when Kuroo and I came over, I'm sure others would have the same impression.”

Suga seemed to still at the implied mentioned of Futakuchi's death and Daichi wanted to slap himself for being tactless. A moment of silence passed and Daichi tried to think of what to say to salvage the situation. The fair-haired man had his head down when he finally spoke.

"Well," he said softly, "We were friends even after breaking up, so I don't think it was unnatural to react like that."

They were in front of the train station now, and scratched the back of his head, fidgeting in his stance.

"Sorry," he mumbled but Suga shook his head, still not looking at Daichi.

"It's fine," Suga whispered, taking a step closer to Daichi who stilled. With the florist's head bowed, Daichi was left with staring at the florist's windswept hair that looked soft to touch. Daichi's hand twitched at the thought and he stuffed the offending hand into the pocket of his coat. Suga must have seen his action because he took another step towards Daichi, eliminating any space that was between them. Daichi couldn't move, having felt that he was rooted to the spot. He could feel heat radiating from the fair-haired man's body and swallowed thickly.

"Suga-"

"Besides," Suga cut him off, and whatever Daichi wanted to say died in his throat when Suga finally lifted his head and locked gazes with Daichi. They were close enough for Daichi to see the specks of grey in his eyes. He felt his breath caught in his throat when he saw the look of determination in Suga's face.

"Besides," Suga repeated, hot breath fanning into Daichi's skin, making goose bumps appear at the back of his neck. The florist's gaze flickered to Daichi's lips for a second before it was back to his eyes.  He thought the blush of Suga's cheeks had darkened. "If you thought that, then my intentions hadn't been obvious enough," he finished his sentence in barely a whisper and before Daichi could process what was happening, Suga leaned forward and placed a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth.

It's was light and fleeting - too light to be called a kiss in fact - but Daichi's heart still stuttered and his cheeks grew warmer. There was a tingle in his skin where Suga's lips was, that made his skin even hotter. Suga pulled back a moment later, and Daichi could now see the coloured cheeks on Suga that he was now sure wasn't due to the beer nor the cold wind of the night. He said nothing, his mind blank as he continued to watch Suga, who was now fidgeting. Daichi opened his mouth - he had to say something - but the chime an announcement from the station startled the two men.

The last trains were approaching.

Suga sucked in a breath and peeked at Daichi. Before the detective could say something, the florist whispered a "good night, Daichi" and walked away, into the station to catch his train.

Daichi watched Suga's back until he disappeared from view. Then, he tentatively brought a cold hand to touch the side of his mouth, where Suga's lips and been briefly. His ears were red and he probably looked a sight, judging from the glances from passersby, but he didn't care. His chest fluttered as his mind was filled with Suga.

_"I think Suga is hiding something."_

His own words was like a douse of cold water. He remembered the conversation he had with Kuroo.

He remembered how tense the fair-haired man was after Kawanishi left the flower shop.

Daichi frowned, his hand on his face now slipping away, forming a clenched fist by his side.

The night was cold with its harsh winds and Daichi had never felt so conflicted in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was chapter 6! I've outlined the story to be at 10 chapters long but I've run out of buffer pages.   
> I will try to update every other week from now on so see you then!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again for all your lovely comments, kudos and subscriptions!
> 
> This is my favourite chapter written so far. Enjoy!

Gold, cat-like eyes lifted from his game console hidden under his report to the big dark figure that was sprawled on the chair in front of his desk. The eyes then flickered to the clock on the wall, indicating that it was just after midnight. He sighed, deciding to switch his game off before he addressed the figure.

"Kuro."

Kuroo didn't answer, but Kenma knew he heard him, judging from the minute shift of his body on the chair.

"Kuro," Kenma repeated, earning him a sigh from the messy haired detective. Kuroo finally looked up and Kenma took note of the dark circles under his friend's reddened eyes and pallid skin. "... Go home."

Kuroo scratched his head, heaving a long sigh. "I'm not done with work," he mumbled unconvincingly and Kenma fought not to roll his eyes, instead letting his gaze settle on the detective heavily. Kuroo fidgeted in his seat.

"You clocked in six hours of overtime today," he countered flatly. "And work is never finished." Kuroo gave a sheepish grin at that, his own words being thrown back at him.

Kenma's frown deepened when Kuroo leaned his elbows on his knees, pushing his palms into his eyes. "Go home," he repeated, concern now colouring his tone. "Or I'll get Sawamura-san to drag you home."

"And how'll you get in touch with my partner?"

"I'll tell Shouyou."

Kuroo clicked his tongue at Kenma's response, though there was no malice under it. Flashing the Medical Officer a shaky smile, Kuroo stood up heavily, waving as he left Kenma's office. Kenma merely watched his childhood friend leave until the sound of his footsteps faded into nothingness. Then he withdrew his phone from his pocket, opening his contact list. He scrolled down, eyes unblinking, until he found the contact he was looking for. Kenma's eyes flashed once more towards his closed door and back to his phone. He then opened a new message to type and send.

 

 

 

The family fast food chain was crowded regardless of time and day, especially so during extreme weathers. Today was no exception, with strong winds chilling anyone outside down to the bones, reminding people of the incoming winter. People of all ages huddled in the restaurant, seeking the warmth and shelter away from the biting chill, eyeing the menu for something warm.

Daichi watched them from the booth tucked away at the corner. Mindless chatter filled the air around him and he knew listening and speaking would be hard, to be heard over the din of it all. But he thought it was better than risked being heard if they were at a quiet bar instead. The chime of the door caught his attention and Daichi saw Iwaizumi stepped in, shoulders relaxing once he was sheltered from the harsh wind. His nose and cheeks were red as he pulled off his scarf, eyes scanning the restaurant until they landed on Daichi. He then made his way through the crowd and Daichi sat up straighter in his booth.

The private investigator sighed as he slipped into the booth opposite the detective, and Daichi could gave him a smile.

"It's been a while," he greeted and Iwaizumi grunted, flashing a small smile of his own as he took out an envelope from his coat. He slid it across the table and Daichi wasted no time in opening the envelope.

"I managed to do some more digging on Shiratorizawa's finances," Iwaizumi began, taking out his pack of cigarettes before remembering where his was and stuffing it back into his coat, frowning slightly. "... Statements dating back to a few years back," he continued as Daichi pulled out the stack of papers, looking through it and nodding in acknowledgment.

Iwaizumi sighed, clearly annoyed with the lack of nicotine as he continued. "There was a decline in profits for Shiratorizawa a few years before Ushijima took over the company. If you were to find their _official_ statements as well, it'll show a steady decline." Daichi paused, eyes flicking up to look at Iwaizumi.

"But..," Daichi began, taking in the glint in his friend's eye and the shadow of a smirk forming on his lips. "You found out otherwise."

The other man nodded. “Their finances are not just declining, they’re plummeting. Shiratorizawa Corporation should have had filed for bankruptcy months ago.”

Iwaizumi then grinned and beckoned Daichi to the envelope in his hands. Daichi looked into the envelope and found a piece of paper filled with numbers. Daichi quirked an eyebrow, confused. "My sources managed to dig that up for me," Iwaizumi said triumphantly. "It's the list of transactions made by Shiratorizawa with... Suspicious vendors. These are dated all the way since three years back."

"Buying?" Daichi asked. Iwaizumi shook his head.

"Selling."

Now both of Daichi's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. Eyes wide, Daichi flipped the pages of numbers, heart beating wildly. "Iwaizumi," his throat was dry. "... Wow."

Iwaizumi scoffed but his smirk remained intact. "Even if you can't get them for murder," he said, smirk widening, "you can get Ushijima behind bars for corporate fraud." Daichi nodded in agreement, eyes sharp as he tore his eyes from the materials in his hands to look at Iwaizumi.

"Thanks," he mumbled and the private investigator waved a hand flippantly, pulling out a cigarette to place between his lips. He caught the eye of a waitress looking at him disapprovingly and gave her a small smile. The waitress narrowed her eyes before walking away and Iwaizumi grunted.

"I'll keep an eye on Shiratorizawa's movements still, will update you if anything else comes up," he said, eyes scanning the family restaurant where the crowd was starting to dissipate. Daichi nodded, a lump forming in his throat, thinking. He saw Iwaizumi shifted to leave the booth.

"Wait," he called out and Iwaizumi stilled, turning to look at the detective questioningly. Daichi cleared his throat. "I need another favour," he continued, slipping a hand into his coat pocket. Iwaizumi nodded, leaning back onto the booth, chewing the tip of his unlit cigarette.

Daichi took a deep breath before pulling out a photo, sliding it across the table towards Iwaizumi who took it wordlessly. "I need you to keep tabs on him for a few days," he said seriously, eyes darkened with determination. "For any suspicious activity." Iwaizumi took in the soft-looking man in the photo, pale-skinned, light hair and a prominent beauty mark high on his cheekbone.

"And who is this?"

"Sugawara Koushi."

Surprise filled Iwaizumi's expression upon recognising the name but Daichi's gaze hardened as he thought of the florist's actions since weeks ago. "I feel that he's hiding something and I need to make sure," he continued as he ignored the fluttering feeling in his gut. Iwaizumi stared at the photo long and hard, lips pursed to a thin line as his eyebrows furrowed. He then looked at Daichi in scrutiny.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked Daichi.

Daichi's eyes fell on Suga's photo, lips tugged lower before he faced Iwaizumi once again.

"Yes."

 

 

 

The incessant beeping of his phone alarm roused him from his sleep. Groaning into his pillow, he removed one of his hand that was covering said pillow on the sides of his head to swipe blindly at the direction of the annoying sound. The tips of his fingers made contact with the beeping phone and he mindlessly tapped onto the screen to turn the alarm off.

Silence filled the air and he breathed a sigh of relief, retracting his hand back to push the pillow to the sides of his head again. His consciousness drifted as he slowly slipped into the haze of sleep once again.

His phone then rang.

_"No,"_ he thought, scrunching his eyes shut, willing his phone to stop ringing, that the person would have enough decency to hang up and leave him alone. However, the ringing continued, shrill against the silence of his room. Kuroo Tetsurou groaned into his pillow once again, all illusion of sleep now gone, before he slowly sat up, eyes still close with sleep as he grabbed for his ringing phone. He didn't bother to check who called, accepting the call and grunting into the line once it connected.

"About damn time," an annoyed male voice was on the other end, and Kuroo sighed, pinching the bridge his nose before rubbing an eye open.

"Tell me you've got something," Kuroo's voice was hoarse and dry from sleep still and he heard a disgusted snort from the other end of the line. Kuroo grinned inwardly.

"Urgh, you're still sleeping at this hour?" The voice asked jokingly and Kuroo rolled his eyes even though the man couldn't see it.

"Not everyone works regular hours like you, Yaku."

Yaku snickered from the other end of the line and Kuroo could not help the smirk forming on his own face. The smirk then drooped when he remembered his original intentions when he had reached out to Yaku in the first place. "Have you gotten anything?" He repeated seriously, eyes now opened as his whole being was on alert.

Yaku caught on Kuroo's serious tone as he too sobered up. "Yeah," he began lowly, and Kuroo could hear the rustling of papers from the other end. "I got Kai to help me out. You told me you only found that one assault case in Tendou's file right?"

Kuroo grunted in confirmation.

"Well, I got Kai to check the database in Miyagi, his hometown," Yaku continued before he paused a while. "It's... Strange."

"What's strange?" Kuroo asked, frowning while he rubbed his eyes again.

Yaku cleared his throat. "The records don't... Really match up. Kai did a little more digging once we found some inconsistencies on his file. Apparently, it’s been tempered with."

Kuroo raised an eyebrow but remembered Yaku couldn't see him. "...Hm?"

"Yeah. The victim was brought to the hospital pretty beat up. He accused Tendou for assaulting him but suddenly retracted his statement a week later. Tendou was never charged. I've been trying to get hold of the victim but he seemed to have moved."

Kuroo exhaled slowly as he listened. "The victim just... Retracted his statement? Just like that?"

Yaku hummed in affirmation. "And he was pretty hell-bent on getting Tendou behind bars too, according to Kai's sources," he sighed heavily, reflecting exactly how Kuroo felt.

Kuroo rubbed his face with his hand. "Is that all?" He asked resignedly, eyes flicking at the clock on the wall - it was already late afternoon - and shifted on his bed, planting his feet on the ground.

Yaku sucked in a breath and Kuroo heard more crinkling papers. "... No, actually," he began tentatively and Kuroo paused, hand gripping his phone tighter at the tinge of nervousness in his voice.

"What?"

"You know the case of the death of Fukunaga, that Shiratorizawa employee a year ago?"

"Yeah, we recently reopened the case on the suspicion that there was foul play," the detective said slowly, wondering where Yaku was going with this.

Yaku cleared his throat. "We found out something that isn't in his official files," he began. "There... Was an eyewitness to the case."

"What?"

Kuroo's mind was whirring. This had been Akaashi's case, and he knew the younger detective was thorough in his work. How could this not appear in his report?

Apparently Yaku must have been a mind reader. "It's not the detective in charge's fault," he said and Kuroo was brought out of his thoughts. "The eyewitness never came forward."

"Who's the eyewitness?"

"Some intern at Shiratorizawa that time. I did try to get in touch with him but... He died in a car accident a few months back." Yaku paused. "I'm sorry."

Kuroo slouched in his position, resting his head in his hand propped on his leg. He was starting to get a headache. A crackle of static from then other end and Yaku's voice came up. "Kuroo..."

Kuroo didn't reply but Yaku knew he was listening. "Look," the other man began, "I don't know what is happening or what are you trying to look for, but it's getting dangerous." Yaku paused. "Tendou's dangerous."

"He has people to pull strings for him, trying to cover up his acts, and," Yaku hesitated. "I think it's best to quit while you're ahead."

"I can't do that," Kuroo retorted almost immediately, suddenly annoyed with Yaku's concern. "It's my job and I want to get to the bottom of the case."

Yaku was silent for a while at the other end of the line. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and soft. "Then you better be cautious," he said. "We don't know what else they're capable of."

Kuroo swallowed, feeling slightly guilty for snapping at his friend. "I will," he replied and the two said their goodbyes.

 

 

 

"Hey."

Daichi looked up from his report to find his partner grinning at him, two cups of coffee in each hand. Daichi grinned back and accepted the cup Kuroo offered, taking a cautious sip at the hot liquid. His partner lounged on his seat, grin wider as he took a sip of his own cup of coffee.

"Nothing like a good cup of coffee to start the shift," he said and Daichi chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. His eyes flickered to Kuroo once again to see the bags under his eyes had lessened. He hummed in approval.

"Had a good rest?"

Kuroo nodded as he booted up his computer. "I practically slept the whole day yesterday," he answered before looking at his partner once more. "Any updates from Iwaizumi?"

Daichi nodded, pulling out a file from his drawer to pass to Kuroo. "Iwaizumi managed to dig up some dirt on Shiratorizawa. We can pretty much haul Ushijima in for questioning. We're currently waiting for the arrest warrant."

Kuroo flipped through the file, frown in place. "Anything on Tendou?" He asked Daichi who shook his head.

"No direct links to the case but I can pretty much conclude that Futakuchi's murder is related to these illegal dealings," Daichi said.

Kuroo sighed, closing the file. He looked at Daichi, expression serious. "I had a friend to help me dig up more information on Tendou."

Daichi leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table as his gaze sharpened. "And?"

"Tendou has someone pulling strings for him. His crimes were pretty much covered up. And," Kuroo's eyes narrowed. "There was a witness for Fukunaga's death, the Shiratorizawa employee."

Daichi was surprised. "How did we miss that?" He hissed at Kuroo who shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"We didn't. The eyewitness never came forward. He's been dead a couple of months."

"Shit."

That was Daichi could say. He leaned back heavily on his chair, eyes closed as he took a deep breath. Nothing seemed to go well for this case, he thought. Kuroo mirrored his expression, his gold eyes hardening at the sight of something unseen. "Sawamura," he began and Daichi focused his attention on to his partner. "I'm going to continue following Tendou."

Daichi frowned and shook his head. It was dangerous, he knew that. Before he could open his mouth to voice his sentiments to Kuroo, Hinata appeared right beside the detective, startling him.

"Daichi-san! Kuroo-san!" The orange-haired intern greeted them.

"Hey," Kuroo mumbled while Daichi smiled.

"What is it, Hinata?"

The younger man looked between the two detectives, having caught on the serious aura between them. His smile faltered. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"No, of course not," Daichi quickly replied before his partner could say anything although Kuroo did nothing to disagree with him. "We were just discussing our case. What is it?"

Hinata's smile reappeared and his eyes shone excitedly. He stood on the balls of his toes and Daichi couldn't help but feel excited as well.

"This week will be my last week interning here!" Hinata exclaimed excitedly. "I was wondering if you two will be available for dinner on my last day. I've already invited Kenma and he said he'll be there as well!"

Daichi blinked. "Your internship is almost done huh," he muttered, surprised at how fast time seemed to have passed. He realised then it has been more than a month since this case landed on his overworked lap.

Hinata, oblivious to the detective's thoughts, nodded excitedly. "I wasn't sure if this would be the right field for me when I first started," he said, now clenching his hands into fists, his brown eyes bright with determination but the wide smile still present on his face. "But now I'm sure. I'm going to work hard to be a great detective like you!"

Daichi could now help but smile at the younger man's monologue. "You'll be fine," he assured the younger intern who beamed at him.

"Thank you Daichi-san! See you for Friday's dinner! Kuroo-san too!" He waved wildly before bouncing off, probably to ask around the others about Friday as well, Daichi thought. He heard the scraping of the chair in front of him and looked over to find his partner now standing, shrugging on his coat. He noticed Kuroo was unusually quiet, a serious expression on his face.

"Where are you going?"

"Stakeout," Kuroo grunted, gathering his things.

Daichi raised an eyebrow, clearly attuned to what or who Kuroo was planning on following. He parted his lips relay his previous sentiments to his partner but the chief's loud voice bellowing for Daichi to be in his office distracted him for a moment, and Kuroo took the chance to leave, slinking away like a cat.

 

 

 

His gold eyes were unusually sharp, scanning the entrance of the building that housed Shiratorizawa Corporation. At this time, most of the workers have left for the day, making the place eerily quiet. It was one of the colder nights and Kuroo shivered, stuffing his hands deep into the pockets of his coat. He thought about his gloves he didn't have with him but remembered he had last left them at Kei's apartment. He sighed, pushing those thoughts away and he refocused on the task at hand.

Hidden in a dark and narrow alleyway, he watched. "Come on," he muttered, his breath a puff of white in the air as his eyes glinted.

Tendou Satori came out of the building minutes later. He turned his head left, and then right, surveying his surroundings, before he turned left again and started walking. Kuroo waited a few seconds before he stepped out of the alleyway quietly, observing the redhead from the other side of the street. He then started walking too, not fast enough to make himself look suspicious, but enough so that he still had sight of Tendou. There weren't many people on the street in the cold night, so Kuroo stuck close to the shadows, avoiding the orange lights of the lampposts. He heard him whistling an unfamiliar tune and his lips curled in dislike for the man.

He continued to follow Tendou walking down the street, where the number of passers-by became scarce and the streets dimmer than before. Then the redhead turned right into a darkened street and Kuroo paused. He could still make out where the other man was from across the street, but it was dark and he was alone, without backup. He should have asked his partner to come along, although he knew Daichi would have been against this whole thing, judging from the way he had looked at him disapprovingly in the office.

But there was no time for "what ifs" - he was losing sight of Tendou in the dark. He narrowed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he decided. He took a step forward--

And felt a cold and thin metal object pressed firmly in his back.

Kuroo stiffened. _"Shit,"_ he thought. He had been so fixated on Tendou that he had forgotten to check his surroundings. He cursed to himself again when the metal object pressed deeper into his back.

"Don't move," An unfamiliar voice called out from behind and Kuroo's skin prickled at the cold and hostile tone of the voice. He slowly removed his hands from his coat, lifting it up slowly to show his assailant that he was unarmed.

"Turn around."

Kuroo didn't say anything before he obeyed, turning slowly. He caught sight Tendou Satori from the corner of his eye, now in the light, leaning against a lamppost. He was too far to see the expression on the man's face but Kuroo knew there was a smug grin on that ugly mug of his.

He took in another breath before he finally turned, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of his assailant. He forced a grin.

He had seen him in the Police Academy during his time there. A smart, diligent worker, he rose up the ranks in the police force quickly and was made detective a year after he graduated from the Academy. Kuroo had never worked with him as they were from different districts, but he should have seen it coming - he knew he worked for Shiratorizawa before becoming a policeman.

"I should've known," Kuroo said slowly. "So you were the one who had been cleaning Tendou's records, huh?"

The eyes of Semi Eita were hostile, dark with malice as his eyebrows were furrowed deep. His dyed and unruly hair looked windswept but it didn't make him looked any less intimidating. Semi's eyes bore into Kuroo's gold ones, his hold on his gun unwavering.

"I'm surprised to see you alone, Kuroo," his cold voice rang out in the silent street. "I half-expected Sawamura to be here as well."

Kuroo's false grin widened. "He could be here," the detective sang but Semi continued to stare at him unflinchingly. He knew the other man wouldn't take the bait easily so he decided to drop the grin.

"So? Are you going to shoot me?" Kuroo asked, eyes sharp. The other man scoffed and raised his gun higher so it was in line with his chest.

"There's been too much attention on Shiratorizawa right now," Semi stated. "I kill you, and everyone will know the company is involved."

"However, I would like you and Sawamura to get off this case."

Kuroo raised a thin eyebrow. "Why?"

"The homicide was supposed to be my case," Semi remarked, a frown on his face. "But that Kageyama from your team happened to be on the scene by chance."

Kuroo smirked. "Maybe it's a good thing this case landed on our laps rather than yours. Who knows what kind of shoddy cover ups you'll do this time."

His words seemed to have touched a nerve in Semi who stepped closer to the other detective, pressing the barrel of his handgun to the front of his coat. Kuroo could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage, but forced himself to remain calm, his hands still in the air as he continued to stare into Semi's eyes which had taken on a dark gleam.

"Sometimes," Semi began, his voice dropping an octave down and Kuroo felt the hairs on the back of his neck raised. "In order to achieve success, drastic measures need to be taken."

Kuroo scoffed. "You can't kill me," he stated, throwing the other man's words back at him. "You have nothing over me."

A ghost of a smirk appeared on Semi's face. "I don't, huh?" He whispered before stepping back, removing the gun from Kuroo's chest and lowering his arm. Kuroo let his shoulders relax, mind working as he tried to think of a plan to get the gun--

"Tsukishima Kei."

Kuroo froze.

Semi chuckled, taking in the other detective's stiffened form and wide eyes.

"Tsukishima Kei," he continued. "Twenty-five years of age. Graduate student at Toudai University. Currently living at the apartments near the university." Semi smirked.

"You've been together for a while now, right?"

"You bastard," Kuroo spat, his hands curled into fists, shaking from the boiling anger deep within him. He must have looked a sight, because Semi gave another dark chuckle, stepping back. Another set of footsteps was heard behind Kuroo and Tendou Satori appeared, standing next to Semi, lips curling into an ugly smirk.

"Looks like you've hit a nerve there, Eita," Tendou sang, his smirk growing wider. Semi didn't reply, his eyes still on Kuroo who was gritting his teeth.

"You should let go of the case," he said, tone still cold as he turned away from the detective. "Consider this my final warning."

"You should listen to him, Tetsurou-kun," Tendou sang and Kuroo could feel bile rising to his throat at the sound of his name from the other man. "If you don't want Kei-kun to end up all black and blue." And with that, the two walked away, vanishing into the darkness while Kuroo was left standing there, shaking but not from the cold.

"Fuck," he whispered shakily.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all your comments, kudos, subscriptions and bookmarks!
> 
> Not my favourite chapter to write. I was stuck on this for weeks. I originally wanted to update this fic next week but school term starts tomorrow and I'm worried about being too busy with assignments to update then. 
> 
> Enjoy!

A ringing tone.

_Click._

_"Hello, this is Tsukishima--"_

"Kei!"

_"--please leave a message."_

A sharp beeping tone.

"Shit," Kuroo growled, jabbing the end call icon hard. His hands shook as he shoved his phone into his pocket before running one hand through his hair. He eyed the taxi driver.

"Please go faster," he pleaded but the driver shook his head regretfully.

"Speed limit," was all the driver said and Kuroo fidgeted in his seat, breathing heavily. He rested his elbows on his knees as he buried his face into his hands.

"Fuck," he whispered.

 

 

 

They arrived at Kei's apartment block ten minutes later. Kuroo all but shoved a crumpled bill at the taxi driver, not caring when the driving called out to him to return his change. He ignored the elevator as he sprinted to the steps, climbing as fast as he could to the fourth floor. He ran to the corner most unit, with the nameplate simply stating "Tsukishima" in neat kanji and pounded on the door.

"Kei!" He yelled. There was no response and Kuroo's blood turned cold. Gritting his teeth, Kuroo pounded the door again.

"Kei!"

There was a muffled scream of "shut up!" from one of the neighbouring units but Kuroo couldn't care less. He raised his hand to slam against the door again when he finally heard shuffling from the other side of the door. A click of the unlocked door echoed around him and the door swung open to reveal a tall and pale young man, with honey-coloured eyes narrowing behind framed spectacles. There was a fleeting look of surprise on Tsukishima Kei's face before Kuroo barged into the room, straight to the open window without taking his shoes off.

"Kuroo-san-"

But Kuroo wasn't listening, looking out the open window down to the road to see if there were anyone suspicious out there. The streets were empty late into that night and Kuroo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, drawing the curtains over the windows. He turned back to find Kei standing awkwardly in the middle of room. He took note of the towel draped over his damp blond hair, the little droplets of water sliding down to his prominent collarbone and beneath his t-shirt and Kuroo was in front of him in seconds, holding the younger man's head in his hands, examining him.

"Kuroo-"

"Are you hurt?" Kuroo asked, gold eyes scanning all over Kei's face before down his pale arms that were void of any bruises.

"N-no, but-"

"Has anyone threatened you recently?"

"Kuroo-san-"

"Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"Kuroo-san!"

Thin, slender hands wrapped around his own hands and Kuroo was jolted from his rant when Kei squeezed his fingers hard, removing them from the younger man's face. Kuroo jerked his head up to find Kei's concerned gaze.

"Kuroo-san," Kei whispered and Kuroo's heart thudded loudly in his chest. "Are you okay?"

Kuroo took a step forward, lifting a shaky hand to trace the jaw of the other man. He was here. Kei was here. "You're okay..," Kuroo exhaled shakily before pulling Kei into a tight embrace.

Kei gasped in surprise at the strength of Kuroo's embrace but didn't try to wriggle out of it. Instead, he slowly wrapped his own arms round the detective, clutching the back of his coat tightly.

"Kuroo-san..," Kei whispered into the front of his coat and Kuroo tightened his hold on the younger man. "... You're shaking."

He was.

Kuroo could feel his own shoulders trembling as hot tears began spilling from his eyes. He squeezed them shut, burying his face to the side of Kei's neck, breathing his scent. "Kei," he whispered, mouthing on Kei's skin, causing the younger man to tremble slightly in his hold. "Kei."

He felt Kei's hands unclench from his coat to rub soothing circles on his back, just like how he usually did to Kei whenever he needed to calm down. "I'm here," he heard Kei's soft voice by his ear and Kuroo could not help the fresh wave of tears spilling from his eyes.

"I'm here."

 

 

 

_"What?"_

Daichi hissed into his phone in shock. He was currently in the storage room, obliging Kuroo's demand to be somewhere private for this phone call. His partner had sounded urgent - frazzled even - and Daichi didn't waste any time asking what happened the moment he found an empty room.

"So, Semi Eita-"

"He's Shiratorizawa's mole," Kuroo's voice crackled from the other end of the line before he sighed in frustration. "I shouldn't have gone after Tendou alone."

Daichi bit back the "I told you so" forming at the back of his throat when Kuroo let out another frustrated groan.

"I should've seen it coming, man."

"Hey," Daichi said almost immediately. "Don't beat yourself up over it. No one expected it."

His partner was silent for a moment before a weary sigh was heard. "Shit," he mumbled. "I don't know if there's anyone else working for Shiratorizawa in our ranks."

Daichi knew where he was going with it. "We can't trust anyone else," he commented and Kuroo grunted in agreement.

"How's the arrest warrant coming up?"

It was Daichi's turn to heave a sigh. "There's no news yet, I'm going to ask the chief about it later. Anyway," Daichi paused. "Are you okay?"

"We're fine. I'm getting Kei to pack a bit and stay with me in the meantime-"

"No," Daichi interrupted. "Are _you_ okay?"

There was a stretch of silence from the other end of the line before he heard his partner let out a shaky breath.

"Ye-.. I... No," he replied, his voice cracking at the end. "I'm still shaken up. I've put Kei in danger now because of this case-"

"Do you want to drop the case?"

"Hell no," Kuroo interjected almost immediately, sounding fierce. "We're going to get these bastards and lock them up."

Daichi allowed a small smile to form on his face at his partner's reply. "Yeah," he agreed. "I'm going to go talk to the chief about this while you rest up. You sound like you need it."

"Thanks, Sawamura. See you tomorrow." He noted the relieved and grateful tone colouring his partner’s words.

They ended the call and Daichi sighed, leaning his head back on the wall, eyes staring unfocused at the ceiling.

The brilliant Semi Eita was a mole.

It was like a piece of the puzzle had slotted itself into place, he realised. How Ushijima and Shiratorizawa had managed to wriggle their way out of any suspicion in multiple cases. How Tendou's records were cleaner than it should have been. They should report on Semi and get him arrested. But if Semi were to remain tight-lipped, it wouldn't matter if they had him; Shiratorizawa Corporation more workers in the police force and could continue their suspicious activities with no worry.

Plus, they seemed to have no qualms in dragging an innocent party into the mess like how they had threatened Kuroo with Tsukishima.

Daichi's thoughts unwittingly strayed to a particular fair-haired man. He sighed.

It had been days since he had last heard from him, but if Suga was indeed hiding something, it was time to ask him about it, Daichi decided. The case had been dragging on too long and it was starting to get dangerous. Pushing himself from the wall, Daichi slipped out of the storage room and headed back to his desk. He would have to speak to the chief about the arrest warrant for Ushijima soon.

"Sawamura-san!"

He turned at the call of his name to find Kageyama walking briskly towards him. His hair was a mess- he probably had just entered the office - and his expression was something akin to urgency which Daichi realised was rare. He turned and waited until the younger detective was within earshot to ask what was wrong.

Kageyama cleared his throat and shoved the day's newspaper into his hands. Daichi had to remind himself to not take offence to the younger man's actions as he smoothed the paper out to read the headlines.

"I thought it might be relevant to your case," Kageyama muttered as Daichi read the headlines, eyes widened.

 

> **SHIRATORIZAWA CORPORATION TO PUSH RELEASE DATE OF NEW ANTOBIOTICS FORWARD**

 

"They seemed to be in a rush to get the antibiotics out in the market," Kageyama observed and Daichi had to agree.

They were indeed rushing the antibiotics out.

"But why?" Daichi mumbled, eyebrows furrowed. The younger detective shrugged, slipping his coat off him and placing it on his chair. He too, seemed deep in thoughts judging from the corner of his lips tugging downwards and the arch of his eyebrows. Daichi's eyes remained on the headlines although he was no longer processing the printed words on the paper. His mind then wandered to his last meeting with Iwaizumi. Had they missed something crucial?

_"Shiratorizawa should have had filed for bankruptcy months ago"_

_"Buying?"_

_"Selling."_

 

A sudden thought came over Daichi and he raised a hand to cover his opened mouth, eyes widened. "Shit," he mumbled and Kageyama turned to face him questioningly. He took no notice of the younger detective, too absorbed with the epiphany he just had.

Shiratorizawa Corporation had never had dealings in the medicinal sector before this. Shiratorizawa was going bankrupt. The company manufacturing the new drugs and are rushing its release to the market. The dealings with suspicious parties where they were selling.

"What if..," Daichi wondered out loud, catching Kageyama's attention once again. "The production of the antibiotics is linked to the whole case?"

Kageyama's expression was that of confusion for a split second before a look of understanding dawned on him. His blue eyes widened.

"You don't mean-"

But Daichi was already moving; he walked briskly towards the chief's office, the newspaper crushed in his strong grip. He heard Kageyama hurrying right behind him as he flung the door to the chief's office suddenly, startling the older man from drinking his tea. He coughed violently for a moment, eyes watering as he glared at the detective.

"Are you trying to kill me, Sawamura?"

Daichi chose to ignore the chief's words - responding to them might just distract the detective from his current train of thoughts. "Chief," he began sternly. "Any news on the arrest warrant for Ushijima?"

The chief blinked, clearly not expecting the detective to go straight down to business. He collected himself quickly, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Not yet," he said, leaning his head into his palm, hands propped on the desk. "I've been chasing after them for it as well, trust me, but they only said there's some 'internal issues' that's causing them to delay the warrant." The chief used his hands to air quote what the office had said, his lips turned up in a sneer, clearly not pleased with the delay.

Daichi let out a long sigh, the blood in veins cold. This was what he was afraid of. If they couldn't touch Semi, they certainly could not track down any other possible moles of Shiratorizawa. And from what the chief has just told him, the possibility of another mole within their ranks was high.

He stepped into the office before grabbing onto the door. Kageyama, who has followed him, stumbled out of the way just as the door slammed shut, leaving the three of them alone in the office. The chief frowned at the rough way Daichi slammed the door shut but made no comment once he saw the urgent look on the detective's face.

"Chief," Daichi began, his voice low and the older man leaned forward to catch his words. "We have reasons to believe that our offices has been compromised."

The chief, to his credit, didn't look as surprised as Daichi had expected him to be. He frowned, leaning back into his chair as he eyed the detective and Kageyama intently. "I've had my suspicions," he stared.

Daichi nodded absently and cleared his throat. "We really need the arrest warrant."

"I know, but they're holding it up at their office. Anyway," the chief looked at him seriously. "Your case is getting dangerous. I'd recommend keeping your case with just us in this office." He paused, eyebrows raised as he realised something. "Where's Kuroo?"

Daichi gave him the brief rundown of their situation at that moment, and the chief's eyebrows rose even higher. Kageyama, who had been silent throughout the whole time, couldn't help the shocked gasp escaping him and Daichi belatedly remembered he was acquainted with Tsukishima.

The older man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, deep in thought. Daichi remained standing, his grip on the newspaper had loosened, but the words in the headlines were burned into the back of his eyelids.

"Chief," he addressed his superior again who grunted. "We think the antibiotics Shiratorizawa is releasing has a big part to play in this case." The chief eyed him, but there was no trace of skepticism in his face.

"Kageyama," he addressed instead, and the younger detective straightened stiffly from his spot. "I'm adding you to this case. Help them in any way you can."

"N-yes!"

The chief stood up and walked towards his coat hanger, shrugging on his jacket. "Sawamura," he began, "Find out whatever you can about the drugs. The sooner we get to the bottom of this case, the better. Get Kuroo to contact me once he's all sorted out."

Daichi nodded, watching the chief grabbing his assets. "Where are you headed, chief?"

The older man fixed him a levelled stare. "I'm going to get that arrest warrant myself."

 

 

 

His phone rang six hours later.

Without looking at the caller ID, Daichi picked up the call, rubbing his strained eyes with his other hand.

"Sawamura."

"Hey," Iwaizumi's gruff voice replied. "I tried digging it information on the antibiotics like you asked."

"Did you find anything?" Daichi asked, standing up to find an empty room to continue the call.

"Unfortunately not. I mean, it's a pretty short time frame and I did what I could but-"

"Is there anything at all?"

Iwaizumi sighed apologetically. "Sorry, Sawamura. I did my best."

Daichi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose again. He could feel the incoming headache. "It's okay, Iwaizumi. It was an unreasonable request after all." He said resignedly. He heard Iwaizumi grunting, obviously as upset as Daichi felt about not being able to find anything worthwhile. After what felt like a few moments, the private investigator sighed.

"I'll keep a lookout for anything new," he mumbled and Daichi affirmed, ending the call just as Kageyama limped into the office, cheeks and the tip of his nose pink from the cold, frown on his face, having taken over Kuroo's stakeout duties for the day. Daichi raise an eyebrow at his slow gait to which the younger detective scrunched his face.

"I slipped on ice," he muttered, sinking slowly into his seat and Daichi tried his hardest to suppress the snort of laughter that bubbled in him. He cleared his throat, trying to find a semblance of professionalism when his phone rang again. This time, he glanced at the caller ID and froze.

Suga was calling him.

He hesitated for a moment, finger hovering the 'accept call' button, before declining the call. He pushed thought of the florist away from his mind as he turned his attention back to Kageyama. "You found anything?"

Kageyama shook his head slowly, pulling off his jacket. "I stood in the cold for hours. No sign of Tendou or Kawanishi within the vicin--"

The telltale sound of Daichi's ringtone interrupted the younger detective. Daichi saw Suga's name blinking on the screen and promptly declined the call again. Whatever it was, he was sure it could wait.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Any sign of Ushijima?"

His ringtone blared out again just as Kageyama opened his mouth. The younger detective frowned, although a glimpse of concern was seen in his blue eyes. "I think you should pick that up, Sawamura-san," he said curtly and Daichi could only smile apologetically at him as he stood up, his ringing phone in his hand. He walked towards an empty room, eyeing wearily the name flashing in time with the ringing. Taking a deep breath, Daichi accepted the call.

"Sawamura."

There wasn't an immediate response from the other end of the line but Daichi could hear Suga breathing. Then, Suga exhaled a shaky breath. " ... Daichi," he whispered and Daichi could picture the florist being in the verge of tears. "I need help."

 

 

 

The familiar feeling of dread from a month ago crawled into him when Daichi stepped into the threshold of Suga's apartment. Even at the landing, looking into the darkness of his house, he could tell that something was amiss. Suga was outside with Kageyama attending to him, visibly distressed and shaken, so the detective fumbled along the wall until he reached found the light switch and flipped it on.

He felt as though someone had dropped a bucket of ice in his stomach.

Suga's once neat apartment was in disarray. No, Daichi thought, it was chaos.

Furniture were thrown round the living room, sheets torn and crumpled, broken plates littered the kitchen floor. He spotted a framed photo of Suga and Futakuchi amidst the destruction, its glass broken and photo torn. He took a few steps into the apartment until he was just able to see the hallway to the bedrooms and saw it equally messy. Daichi eyed the locked windows and turned back to the front door to examine the doorknob. It was working perfectly.

He let out a long breath before he stepped out of the chaotic apartment where Suga was still with Kageyama. He was noticeably paler under his hair, his eyebrows drawn close and his bottom lip red from worry. He glanced at Daichi and saw a slight relief passing his face. Kageyama nodded towards the apartment, blue eyes on the older detective enquiringly.

Daichi took a moment to study their surroundings. It was getting dark, with the streetlamps giving out dim sources of light. He could heard voices from the other apartment units but no one else was outside nor were anyone watching the three of them standing outside the trashed apartment. Deeming it safe to continue, Daichi turned his attention to Suga.

"Suga," Daichi began and he heard the florist sucked in a shaky breath at the sound of his name. "Have you noticed anyone suspicious following you around these past days?"

Suga fixed his hazel eyes on the detective before slowly shaking his head. "No," he breathed out, his bottom lip trembling.

"Was there anything missing?"

He shook his head.

"Does anyone else have the keys to your apartment?"

A slight look of confusion marred his features before he spoke. "It was just me and Futakuchi."

Daichi was silent for a moment, eyes sharp on Suga who fidgeted under his stare. Then, he asked.

"Do you have his keys with you?"

The fair-haired man's confused expression than melted away, replaced with a look of horror and fear and Daichi's suspicion was confirmed.

"Sawamura-san?"

Kageyama asked, clearly not understanding the situation. The older detective took his eyes off Suga and focused on the dark-haired man. "There were no signs of forced entry," he explained. "The only way in and out was to have a copy of the key to the apartment.”

The younger detective's eyes widened slightly before he pulled out his phone to dial. "I'm calling a team down here to start dusting for prints," he announced to which Daichi nodded approvingly before turning back to Suga.

Suga looked impossibly paler than he was five minutes ago, making his beauty mark stand out harshly against his skin. His hazel eyes remained wide with worry and he had taken to playing with the hem of his coat, knuckles white. Daichi cleared his throat to catch the florist's attention.

"It's not safe to be here," the detective said. "You should stay with a friend for a few days."

The fair-haired man studied Daichi for a moment, not saying a word. Then he tore his gaze away to look at his hands fiddling with his coat, shaking his head slightly.

"I can't," he said, sucking in a breath before locking gazes once more. "The culprit couldn't find what they were looking for in my apartment right? I don't want to involve anyone else."

Daichi's eyes widened, his jaw going slack. Suga had a point. He had noticed the fact that nothing seemed to be missing in the apartment, which meant that the culprit was looking for something specific. It was best to avoid pulling in anymore innocent parties into this. His mind was working, trying to think of a solution to this. Their office has been breached as well, there was no telling who else besides Semi was working for Shiratorizawa.

An idea appeared in his head. It wasn't the best one he's had, but given the circumstance...

"You can stay with me," he blurted before he could have second thoughts. He took in Suga's frozen expression and mentally cringe. Crap, was that going too far?

The florist ducked his head, his hair hiding his face from the detective. Daichi noted the red tips of his ears and inwardly flailed. This was a bad idea, he was getting too involved-

"Okay."

"Huh?"

He paused his mental panic to look at Suga who was peeking at him from underneath his lashes. His eyes were still wide and his lips were dipped at the ends, portraying his distress, but the colour flooding his cheeks had Daichi swallowing heavily. Suga fidgeted underneath his gaze for a moment before finally facing him fully.

"If it's not too much trouble... Please let me stay with you," the fair-haired man said. Daichi stared at him for a moment, mouth agape. Then, coming to his senses, he snapped his jaw shut, cleared his throat and nodded.

"Okay."

 

 

 

When Kageyama returned from his phone call, he noted the awkward air between the older detective and Sugawara. He shrugged it off, informing Daichi of the team's estimated time of arrival.

He didn't notice Sugawara's trembling fists bunched around the hem of his coat.

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for the kudos, comments and subs! 
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter have some pretty heavy makeout session in the first part, but nothing explicit. Enjoy!

"I've been keeping tabs on him like you've asked," Iwaizumi's gruff voice came from the other end of the line. "There was no sign of suspicious activities. He basically goes to work at the flower shop and comes home. Nothing else."

Daichi had called Iwaizumi the moment he and Suga arrived at his apartment, Kageyama having had stayed behind to lead the team in the investigation of Suga’s place. Leaning his head back onto the door to his apartment, he constantly kept his eyes sharp along the hallway of the floor - he had decided to take the call outside rather than within earshot of Suga.

"So you're saying that he's clean?"

There was a puff of air from the other end- Iwaizumi must've been smoking. "Well, I wouldn't say he's innocent, just that he's clean during the past few days I've been following him. If he had done anything suspicious, it might've been before you asked me to tail him or even before Futakuchi's death," there was another puff of air.   "He said that there wasn't anything missing?"

"Yeah," Daichi muttered and Iwaizumi hummed.

"It's best that you keep an eye on him, Sawamura. Whatever the culprit was looking for, they know he has it."

Daichib sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But what is it that he has?"

Iwaizumi sighed into the line. Daichi could hear the sound of clattering in the background, and a whistling tune. The private investigator muttered something incoherent to the whistling before he addressed Daichi again.

"Well, whatever Sugawara is hiding, I'd suggest you better get it out of him soon. Whatever it is, it could either make him our ally or criminal," he said frankly and Daichi felt his stomach drop at his words.

It didn't cross his mind until now that Suga could be a criminal.

"Iwaizumi..," Daichi began hesitantly and he could tell the other man was listening. "Do you think he's a criminal?"

The other man was silent for a while. "... I think," he said lowly and Daichi unconsciously gripped onto his phone tighter. "I think whatever he's hiding... It’s to protect himself or whatever it is that got Futakuchi killed."

Daichi sighed again, leaning his head back to thump lightly on his apartment door. "I'll talk to you soon. Thanks, Iwaizumi," he said.

"Take care, man."

The call ended just when he received a text from Kageyama with updates on the status of the investigation and Kuroo who promised to be in tomorrow morning. Daichi typed out a short reply to both texts and sighed again, Iwaizumi's words still ringing in his ears.

Whatever Suga was hiding, he was trying to protect himself or whatever it was that got Futakuchi killed.

He pushed himself off the door to face it, hesitating slightly. Then taking a deep breath, he schooled his features to something neutral and entered his apartment.

Suga was on the sofa where he had been when Daichi had called Iwaizumi. The florist was sitting stiffly at the sofa, and was looking up from his phone when Daichi entered. He gave him a small smile, stowing his phone away in his pocket. The detective returned with a small smile of his own, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top button of his collar of his shirt as he walked to the kitchen.

"Do you want anything?" He called out to the fair-haired man.

"No, thanks."

Daichi got a cup of water for himself before walking back to the living room, settling himself at the other end of the sofa. Suga leaned back into the sofa, eyes not meeting Daichi and fidgeted slightly. The detective watched him from the corner of his eyes as they sat in silence for a few moments. Then, he gave a sigh and placed his cup on the coffee table.

"Suga," he began and the fair-haired man turned, hazel eyes locking with his own brown ones. Daichi licked his lips; it was now or never. "... What are you hiding?"

Was it the frank way of Daichi asking the question or was it how unexpected the question was, the detective didn't know, but the surprise on Suga's face meant that he really wasn't expecting Daichi to confront him head on. He sat there, facing Daichi, eyes wide in shock for a moment, mouth slack, before the detective saw him catching himself and placing a confused mask over his features.

"What are you talking about?" Suga asked and Daichi frowned. He was trying to evade the question. Normally the detective would have backed off, but with the recent progress of the case within the last twenty-hours, he felt that there was no more time to stall.

"Cut the act, Suga," he said quietly, but Suga still flinched as though he had yelled it. "I know you know something about this case." He turned his body fully to face Suga, his shoulder leaning against the back of the sofa and one of his legs was folded on the seat. His eyebrows furrowed and his lips were pressed into a thin line. "I know that Kawanishi works for Shiratorizawa and that he's been visiting you at the flower shop, looking for something. I also know that Futakuchi's death might have something to do with the antibiotics the company is releasing soon."

Suga remained quiet the whole time and Daichi continued to lock gazes with him. "If I put those two together," he whispered, "I can assume that Futakuchi had some information on the drugs and had left it to you before he went missing. It must've been something Shiratorizawa didn't want the public to know or else they wouldn't be hounding you for it."

The florist had now turned fully to face Daichi, mirroring his posture, head leaning on the back of the sofa, their knees touching slightly. He didn't say anything while Daichi watched the mask slipped from his face slowly, revealing a worn-out expression. Suga smiled ruefully. "You're a good detective, Daichi," he said softly, smiling but the detective could see the trembling of his bottom lip.

"Suga," he whispered, scooting nearer, watching the other man still. "Why didn't you come to me? I could have helped you."

Suga had broken eye contact at this time, face downwards to look at his fists clutching into the fabric of his pants. He then let out a shaky breath. "I didn't want to get involved," he whispered shakily.

"Suga-"

"I-I," he cut in, voice louder, shuddering slightly and Daichi realised he was shaking. "I knew Kenji was having dealings with Shiratorizawa but I didn't want to know. I never wanted to be involved b-but..."

Suga had lifted his head up and Daichi's stomach lurched at the sight of unshed tears pooling in his hazel eyes, creating a sheen over them. His chin was trembling and his eyebrows came together, the very face of despair, when he whispered his next words, "I'm scared, Daichi."

At the crack of Suga's voice, Daichi's rationality flew out of the window as he lunged forward, right in front of Suga and captured the florist's lips with his own. It was a chaste kiss, the mere pressing of lips, but Daichi could feel a tingling sensation shooting from the point of contact all the way to his fingertips and toes. The hair on the back of his neck rose and his heart thumped wildly within his ribcage. It was only when Suga let out a sharp gasp that Daichi snapped out of it, realising what he had done.

Eyes wide, he withdrew from Suga, internally panicking with an apology ready on his tongue. But Suga, with his equally wide eyes and spilled tears, didn't give him a chance to let the words out when he leaned forward, a hand on the back of Daichi's neck and lips on his.

Daichi's eyes fluttered shut the moment their lips met again, tilting his head to better accommodate Suga. His hands went up to his face, feeling the dampness of the fair-haired man's skin as he moved his lips over Suga's. It was no longer innocent like their first kiss, with Suga responding, lips opened to move with Daichi's, gasping. Daichi growled at the sound of Suga's breathless voice and started kissing him more urgently, with one of his hands sliding down his body, under his shirt and onto his waist, rubbing his thumb over smooth skin. He felt Suga shudder, his hand that was on the back of his neck moving up to grip his hair at the base. The pressure didn't hurt, and Daichi pressed harder into the kiss, licking the other man's bottom lip, before plunging his tongue in. Suga's gasped around his mouth again, pulling onto his hair tighter and Daichi gripped his waist more firmly to pull the florist onto his lap.

The kiss was burning hot and tasted of tears and something _Suga_ and Daichi wished he could continue kissing him when they finally broke apart for air. Suga's grip on his scalp remained as he wasted no time and leaned down to place butterfly kisses on Daichi's jaw and neck. Daichi let out a surprised gasp, still winded from the kiss, his grip almost bruising on Suga's waist. When the fair-haired man started nipping fervently at the skin on his neck, Daichi had to use all his self-control from throwing Suga down on his back and pressing him into the cushions.

"S-Suga," he gasped out warningly and to his relief Suga slowed down, pressing a soft kiss onto the mark he had just made before lifting his head up to look at Daichi again.

Their faces were inches apart, their breaths mingling as they struggled to level their breathing. He saw Suga heaving heavily and his heart fluttered at the sight of the other man's bruised lips, red cheeks and dark eyes. The way the florist's eyes were roaming over his own face suggested he was not looking any better himself.

He spotted the tear tracks drying up on the other man's cheeks and raised his hand to absently rub at them. Suga leaned into the touch, eyes closed, his grip on the detective's hair released and the hand slid to hold onto his shoulders. "Daichi..," he whispered and Daichi could feel his heart clench at the sound of his voice.

He wanted nothing more than to lean into the fair-haired man and capture his lips again, but the looming threat from the case made him think twice as he slowly withdrew his hand from Suga's cheek and waist. Suga's eyes fluttered open when the heat of Daichi's hand disappear from his skin to lock gazes with his. His eyes were still a darker shade of hazel, his cheeks still pink but his expression changed when he seemed to have noticed why Daichi was pulling away. Without hesitating, he lunged forward again to capture Daichi's lips. Surprised, the detective jerked his head back, bringing his hands to hold onto the florist's shoulders. Suga was no longer looking at him, instead had his head hung, his fair hair like a curtain, hiding his face from the detective. Daichi noticed he was trembling.

"Suga-"

"Please," he whispered and Daichi's eyes widened at how tired and vulnerable he sounded. Still, he gritted his teeth and shook his head, although he was not looking at him.

"We shouldn't--"

"Daichi."

His name came out in barely a whisper, making his voice die in his throat when Suga raised his head, his expression a mixture of exhaustion and arousal. His eyes has once again taken a shiny sheen to it with a fresh wave unshed tears. He didn't move when the florist raised his hands from his shoulders to stroke his cheeks as he leaned his forehead to touch Daichi's. Their breaths mingled, and Daichi could see the tears clinging onto his pale eyelashes, his eyes closed.

"The case..," Daichi trailed off, his voice barely a whisper, afraid to shatter the moment of intimacy they were having. He felt Suga's hands tremble on his face as he looked up to face the detective searchingly for a moment, before he parted his lips.

"What if… I tell you everything tomorrow?" Suga whispered slowly and Daichi stared in surprise. The fair-haired man leaned in to place a feather-like kiss on his temple. "I'm tired of keeping secrets," he continued, this time kissing his forehead before letting his lips trail over an eyelid and down to his cheek to place an open-mouthed kiss. His hands trailed down to his neck and collar and Daichi could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his ears hot. He didn't expect when Suga's lips trailed to the underside of his jaw to graze the skin there with his teeth, earning him a surprised grunt from the detective, his hands coming up to gently pull Suga's wrists away.

The fair-haired man let Daichi take away his hands and reluctantly raised his head from the detective's neck. The heated gaze from earlier had cooled down slightly, but the flush on the other man's face remained. His lips were parted, and he was breathing heavily. Daichi watched a tear roll down his reddened cheek before he locked gazes with him again, a silent plea passing his face.

_Hold me_

He really shouldn't.

But still, the detective found himself leaning forward slowly, eyes never leaving the tear-stained face, his hands sliding up his arms and pushing him lightly back into the sofa. Suga gasped, but did not resist, until he was fully laid back on the sofa with Daichi hovering above him. He was a sight, Daichi mused, with his pale hair fanning the cushion, his reddened cheeks and his darkened lidded eyes. He raised a hand to gently brush the florist's face with the back of his hand, his heart swelling with affection as the other man let out a sigh and leaned into the touch. Suga's eyes never left him as he reached out to pull onto his tie, bringing him down to him until they were pressed flush together, their faces barely apart. Then, he leaned in to place a soft kiss at the side of his mouth, just like he had that night in front of the train station and Daichi was done.

Turning his head, he captured the other man's lips for another deep kiss, who gasped pleasantly into his mouth. He let his eyes slide close, feeling the warm body underneath him, his hand that was on his cheek trailed down Suga's body to fiddle with the hem of his shirt. Neither spoke as they continued to indulge in each other and Daichi couldn't bring himself to ruin the mood, pushing any thoughts of the case to the deep recesses his mind when Suga finally undid his tie, letting it drop to the floor.

 

 

 

Suga opened an eye blearily, blinking until his vision sharpened. He found himself staring at an unfamiliar wall in a darkened room, bathed in dark blue and the early beginnings of the sun. It took him a few moments before he remembered where he was.

Ah, he was at Daichi's place.

He tried to push away memories of yesterday's events out of his mind, feeling his cheeks heating up as he slowly sat up on the bed to glance at the clock at the bedside table.

It was five thirty in the morning.

He cocked his head in confusion. He wasn't an early riser, yet he woke up early with ease. He then remembered he had to be at the flower shop early today, as there was a big order on flowers for a wedding that afternoon. He sighed, not really feeling like getting out of bed. But the delivery timing was close and the customer had already paid the deposit. A movement from his side caught his attention and Suga turned to find a bare broad back facing him. Suga's stomach did a flip as he watched the rise and fall of Daichi's side in the morning light, blushing lightly.

He had promised to tell the detective everything he knew about the case. All the things he had tried hard to run away from, to pretend that he didn't know anything about it, that he was ignorant, just so that he could live his life away from Kenji's actions, was coming back to him, threatening his safety. Part of him chided him at his stupidity, for keeping it away from the police when he had promised his cooperation. But the other part of him thought his actions were justifiable, that if he had sought the police earlier, he could have winded up dead in a narrow alley somewhere.

Suga let out a soft sigh. Whatever his reason, his game was up. He had never expected Daichi to confront him directly even when the detective had been side eyeing him the whole time. Yet here they were. Suga let his eyes roam on the large expanse of the detective's back once again, a warm feeling forming in his chest. He liked Daichi; he had been smitten by the detective since their first few meetings, though he wondered if they could ever be in a normal relationship after this case is settled. Slowly, he lifted a hand to trace feather-like touches at the bare shoulder down his arm. To be held by him... Suga blushed harder at that. He removed his fingers as though he had been burnt and glanced at the clock again.

It was fifteen minutes to six.

He really had to open the flower shop. He'd prepare the order, deliver it to the venue, call Aone, and then come back to Daichi and answer all the questions the detective would have for him. He slid out of the bed and silently got dressed. Daichi hadn't stirred once- the case must've taken a toll on him, Suga mused just as he put in his sweater. He padded slowly to the door when he spotted a notepad and a pen on Daichi's desk. Smiling slightly to himself, he wrote a note for Daichi, putting it under the detective’s phone by the bed and slipped out of the apartment.

 

 

 

It took another forty-five minutes by train to reach Clover Florist and by then the sun had risen slightly more, the surroundings bathed in pale blue of the morning light, and a mist settled on the grounds. Suga puffed out a breath as he shivered - it was the coldest morning yet. Winter was upon them. He stuffed his frozen hands into his coat as he took a turn in to the street where the flower shop was located and froze.

Kawanishi was standing in front of the entrance, arms crossed, expression feigning disinterest when it landed on Suga. Suga blanched - he should have seen this coming. He had let his guard down. He eyed the black car parked by the road, noticing it was empty. Kawanishi must have been alone. He could outrun him. With that in mind, the fair-haired man took a few steps back, eyes never leaving Kawanishi's heavily lidded ones before turning - and bumping into the chest of someone tall and solid. Suga looked up and his eyes widened.

Tendou Satori looked down on him intimidatingly, an ugly smirk curling on his lips. He took in Suga's petrified expression with pleasure humming lightly.

"Long time no see, Koushi-kun."

Suga opened his mouth to scream, to yell out so that anyone who was nearby could see what was happening but there was a force at the back of his neck, followed by a sharp pain before everything went black.

 

 

 

His ringtone cut into the peaceful morning, blaring some crude loud music Kuroo must have had added in for his contact. Daichi groaned, squinting at the sunlight entering his room. He groped around his bedside table for the unholy item, his fingers brushing a piece of paper when he picked his phone up.

"Mmllo?"

"Where's Sugawara?"

Kuroo's voice was urgent from the other line and Daichi frowned, clearly confused.

"Suga? He's-" he turned his head to look at the other side of the bed and froze. It was empty. Daichi patted the area only to find the sheets had cooled. It has been empty for at least an hour. His stomach dropped as he sat up, mind sharp now.

"Kuroo," he began, breathing deeply. "What happened?"

He heard Kuroo exhaled slowly. In the background, he heard the hustle and bustle of the office. "We received a call about a suspicious activity just now in Shibuya," he began. "Two adult male were carrying an unconscious male into a nondescript black car. Unconscious male had light hair and pale skin while the suspects had sandy hair and red hair."

Daichi felt his blood turn cold and he grabbed the piece of paper on his table. Written in neat kanji, Suga wrote.

 

_Headed to the shop for an order. Will be back soon. Suga x_

 

"They have him," Daichi muttered, eyes unseeing on the note. "They've taken him."

"Kageyama's following up on the trail right now. He's going through the surveillance cameras around the area to find the car."

"I'm coming in," Daichi said and ended the call before Kuroo could say anything else. He quickly slipped out of bed to dress, his mind thinking while a lump formed in throat.

He just hope he wasn't too late.

 

 

 

Suga regained consciousness with a pounding headache. He cringed and slowly opened his eyes to take in his surroundings.

He found himself on the cold ground, hands and feet bound tight. The areas where then rope met his skin was throbbing, as if the blood couldn't circulate properly to his limbs. He shifted slightly, turning his head up to view his surroundings. He was in a warehouse, that much he could tell judging for the big dark space and the huge racks around the area. The racks were filled with various sports equipment - volleyballs, rackets and such. He must be in one of Shiratorizawa Corporation's warehouses, Suga deduced as he let his head fall back onto the floor, wincing slightly when he hit the sore spot on his head.

The door slammed open, echoing in the warehouse before it was closed shut. Suga turned his head gingerly to find the two men walking towards him. He spotted a grin on Tendou's face before he was hit with a strong force to his stomach - Tendou had aimed a hard kick to his stomach. Coughing, Suga curled up into himself, blinking back tears. He heard a chuckle above him before a shadow hovered over him.

"That was for a wild goose chase you had Taichi on, Koushi~," Tendou sang and Suga suppressed the shudder of disgust that came from the redhead calling his name. He felt hands in his hair and a second later was jerked upwards to face the smiling redhead.

"Now," he began, his voice dangerously low as he pulled on Suga's hair tighter. Suga bit his bottom lip to prevent the whimper of pain from escaping. "Where are the files?"

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a Tuesday update as I won't have time to update this weekend.

Daichi walked into the office half an hour later, jaw set, eyes hard. He spotted Kuroo leaning against his desk, phone in hand, as he listened to whoever was on the line intently. Despite the events that occurred the previous night, his partner was looking sharp and ready. Their eyes met just as Kuroo ended his call and his partner jogged up to him.

"Hey," Kuroo greeted before thrusting a thin folder to his chest. "We got the witness to identify the suspects who took Sugawara. Its Kawanishi and Tendou." He spun round to grab his coat from his chair.

"I did a follow up with the chief on the status of the arrest warrant. Their office is still insisting that there's some internal problems to get it out," he paused briefly as he put on his coat. "And I've just gotten off the phone with Kageyama."

Daichi whipped his head round to face Kuroo. "Has he found them?" He asked, voice hard.

Kuroo shook his head, face grim. "No, but we found the general direction they were headed to."

"Where?"

"Tokyo Bay."

Daichi slowed to a stop, facing Kuroo with wide eyes. "You don't mean-"

"I don't know, Sawamura," Kuroo clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "But my instincts tell me that he's still alive."

Any other day Daichi would have scoffed at his partner's so-called instincts but his mind was distracted. He stared to the side, unfocused as he thought.

"Sawamura?"

But Daichi barely heard him. His mind went back to the day they found Futakuchi's body in the waters of Tokyo Bay with no apparent trails leading to and from the port.

Then, something clicked.

Daichi turned to face Kuroo, his eyes wide at his realisation. "How did we miss that?" He asked no one in particular, and Kuroo cocked an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

He snapped his attention back to his partner. "What can you usually find at Tokyo Bay?"

Kuroo's eyebrow rose even higher and he gave his partner a look of disbelief. Then, deciding to humour him, he replied, "Odaiba."

Daichi shook his head slowly. "Not the tourist attractions."

Now Kuroo had cocked his whole head to the side, frowning and looking thoroughly confused. Daichi decided to enlighten his partner.

"Warehouses."

His partner's gold eyes widened at the realisation. Daichi, satisfied started walking towards the chief's room, Kuroo on his heels. "I'm betting you Shiratorizawa definitely has got a warehouse of their own there. Get Kageyama to look for it first and tell him to wait for us."

"On it," his partner replied, phone already upon his ear.

Daichi slammed the chief's door open, startling the older man from his drink. Sputtering, the chief eyed the detective crossly. "You'll seriously be the death of me one day, Sawamura."

Daichi ignored his jab as per usual, going straight down to business. "We think we know where they've taken Sugawara."

The chief nodded, placing his spilled cup in his desk. "Get backup to go with you. Where's Kageyama?"

"He's on their trail as we speak."

He nodded again, expression serious. "Tell him to wait for back up to arrive before engaging. That kid can be a little hot-headed."

Daichi nodded, and slammed the door shut. He heard a few choice words coming from inside the room, directed at him which he paid no heed. He went back to Kuroo, who was staring at his phone, worry in his eyes. Daichi realised something was amiss.

"What's wrong?"

Kuroo's eyes flickered to him before he beckoned him over to a secluded corner in the office. Daichi frowned but followed him until they were out of earshot away from others.

"It's Kageyama," he muttered slowly. "He's found their hideout and went in. Alone."

Daichi frowned. "The chief wants him to wait for backup."

Kuroo pinched the bridge of his nose, his brows furrowed. "I know. He hung up on me before I could tell him and I can't reach him again."

Daichi cursed under his breath. He was going to have to beat some sense into the younger detective once the case was over. "We've got to go. Now," he grounded out. Kuroo nodded, dialling for backup as the two men walked out of the office. Daichi caught sight of Hinata just as he stepped out, watching them with a worried expression.

 

 

 

It hurt.

Suga groaned in pain, eyes squeezed shut as he tried to curl his body inwards. He doubted he had ever been in this much pain ever - including the one time where he accidentally had gotten involved in a fistfight in high school, no thanks to Tanaka and Nishinoya. His head was pounding really badly, his ribs burning in pain. There was the taste of coppery blood on his tongue from the inside of his cheek where he had bitten himself and from his nostril.

He let out a shuddering breath when he heard footsteps stopping in front of him and cracked an eye open. It was getting hard to open his eyes due to the swelling that occurred where Tendou had punched him. He saw said man's shiny shoes in front of him before he was met with the familiar pain on his scalp where his hair was pulled on roughly and he was forced to lift his head to squint at the redhead.

Tendou still had that disgusting smile on his face, his eyes bulging as he looked at the bruises he had made on the florist. He grinned wider, tugging onto his hair even more, earning a hiss of pain from the fair-haired man.

"You're pretty hard to break, huh Koushi?" He commented and Suga gritted his teeth when Tendou tugged on his hair again, pulling his head up on an awkward angle. "Looking that frail, I didn't really expect you to put up this much of a fight."

Suga said nothing and gave him the most venomous glare he would master with one eye, earning him a chuckle from the other man. He saw Kawanishi standing by the door, face impassive as he watched them.

"Where are the files Kenji stole?" Tendou asked again.

Suga didn't reply, but spat the pooling blood in his mouth right at the smiling man's face. The grin was instantly wiped off the redhead's face and Suga would have smirked at that, but then the painful grip on his hair was gone and his head fell right back to the floor. He didn't have any time to move before Tendou aimed another swift and hard kick into his stomach, causing him to hunch over, coughing violently. He felt rather than saw Tendou squatting beside him.

"You're really a pain in the ass, you know?" Tendou sighed dramatically, pushing Suga down until he was lying face down on the floor, fiddling with his fingers in his bound hands. "This has nothing to do with you anyway, why are you so determined to get in our way?"

Suga had stopped coughing then, taking in shallow gulps of air. He felt the redhead playing with his fingers and tried clenching his fist, but the other man prevented him. Suga fought the urge to throw up and bit his lower lip, not replying.

Another dramatic sigh came from above him. "Where are the files, Koushi-kun?"

A dark chuckle came out from Suga's throat and Tendou paused in his ministrations to look at the florist. Suga turned his head so that his cheek was touching the cool ground and he shifted his glare back to the redhead above him. He gave a mocking smile. "I wonder what made such a big company like Shiratorizawa stoop so low as to create dubious antibiotics," he spat out more blood before continuing. "The fact that you bribed your way through to get the drugs approved even with the life threatening side effects... You guys are monsters."

Tendou said nothing for a moment but something sinister flitted in his eyes that made the hair at the back of Suga's neck stand. The redhead leaned in until he could feel the other man's breath on his face and feeling of throwing up came back.

"So you've read the files huh?" He whispered, bug-like eyes wide and his lips curling. "Then you should know why your darling Kenji got killed."

Suga glared at him. "You can go ahead and kill me," he said lowly. "But you'll never know where the files are."

Tendou sighed in his face before withdrawing, a fake smile on his face. "Now I understand why Kenji trusted you," he said as he played with Suga's pinky finger. Suga belatedly realised what he was about to do when he suddenly grabbed the finger and yanked it sideways - hard. There was the sound of a sharp crack and a burst of pain that made Suga let out a strangled shout, tears forming at the corner of his eyes. Tendou let go of the finger, giggling gleefully but Suga didn't look at him, eyes squinted shut from the pain as he took deep breaths to distract himself from the burning pain. His blood turn cold however when Tendou held onto his other pinky finger. Blinking back the tears, Suga slowly opened his eyes to look at him.

"Where are the files?" Tendou repeated.

"..."

"Koushi-kun."

"Fuck you."

That clearly wasn't the response the redhead was looking for as his grin morphed into a snarl. He opened his mouth to say something when a loud thud came from outside followed by muffled sounds. Tendou spun round to face Kawanishi. "Taichi."

"Goshiki is on the lookout," the sandy-haired man replied.

"Go help him catch the rat."

Kawanishi nodded, pushing himself off the wall before leaving the room. The door was shut with a bang, leaving Suga and Tendou alone. Tendou watched the door for a moment, before he turned his attention back to the florist, no longer smiling. "Where were we?"

 

 

 

It was times like this that Daichi's was grateful for his partner's less than perfect driving. Kuroo had managed to weave through traffic effortlessly, avoiding the massive that was happening in Tokyo. He hung on tight, one hand gripping the dashboard, the other pressing his phone onto his ear, praying for Kageyama to pick up. When it went straight to voicemail five times in a row, Daichi clicked his tongue in annoyance, stuffing his phone into his pocket.

"By the way," Kuroo called out to him, eyes still on the road as he did a tight left turn into a smaller road. "Those are some impressive marks you're sporting."

Daichi's hand went straight to cover his neck, face now bright red as his partner chuckled. He hadn't had the chance to look at himself on mirror when he had rushed out of the apartment. "Shut up," he muttered and Kuroo hummed, the corners of his lips turning upward. Embarrassed, Daichi attempted to change the subject.

"How's Tsukishima?" He asked and immediately Kuroo's mood turned serious.

"He's fine, I told him about the situation so he's at my place right now, and he took a few days off school. I got Akaashi to look over him right now," he said as he did another turn, honking at an oblivious teenager who was about to cross the road when the pedestrian light was red, eyes glued to her phone. She jumped back, clutching her phone tightly as their car whizzed past where she had been seconds ago.

Daichi nodded, "I'm glad he's okay."

"Same here. We're going to have a talk once this whole case is closed," his partner muttered as he made another sharp turn into the expressway, driving right below the speed limit.

"Good luck to the both of you."

Kuroo barked a laugh at Daichi's awkwardness. "Thanks," he said before he frowned and gripped the steering wheel harder. "We're reaching."

Daichi turned to face the road, his expression serious. His mind drifted back to Suga and he clenched his fists.

 

 

 

Suga retched, blood flying out of his open mouth and splattering onto the floor where he was hunched over. The kick this time was harder than Tendou's earlier ones and he wondered if it was because his body couldn't take it anymore. Blinking away the blackness that was creeping to the sides of his vision, Suga shifted his head so that he was looking at the redhead at the corner of his eyes, his cheek resting on the floor.

Tendou was standing over him, watching him silently, expression unreadable with his lips pressed to a thin line. Neither said anything for a moment before the door slammed opened.

Suga shifted his gaze while Tendou turned to find Kawanishi standing at the doorway. He wasn't alone however. The sandy-haired man was dragging a dark stumbling figure into the warehouse towards the other two. He proceeded to toss the figure onto the floor on Tendou's other side and the figure grunted in pain. Suga realised with a jolt that he recognised the familiar hairstyle and blue eyes.

It was Detective Kageyama.

Kawanishi stood next to Tendou to hand him a small handgun and a thin black item. "This guy's a detective. He managed to knock Goshiki out before I came," he told the redhead who hummed, looking at Kageyama's identification card. Suga looked over at the young detective once more, slumped on the floor, and their eyes met - he saw the widening of his eyes when he recognised the florist before he winced in pain again, clutching at his side.

"What did you do to him, Taichi?" Tendou's voice cut into the silent conversation and Suga flicked his eyes up to see the man lowering himself down, crouching in front of the detective.

"I stabbed him. Nothing vital nor life-threatening, though."

Tendou hummed again as leaned into Kageyama's personal space. The detective gritted his teeth in pain when the redhead jabbed into his stab wound at his side, earning him a short bark of laugh from the man.

"So you're the little foil in our plans," Tendou said. "Eita-kun was seriously pissed off about you."

Kageyama didn't say anything in response, instead, he glared at Tendou, eyes sharp even though his face was covered in cold sweat. From his angle, Suga couldn't see Tendou's expression but he could imagine the smug look on his face.

"You know," Tendou continued as he stood up, walking around Kageyama until he was behind the younger man, before he bent to grab onto Kageyama's right arm. "A pissed off Eita-kun was really troublesome to take care of. He flies off the handle really easily," he said, and Suga's eyes widened when he realised what Tendou was about to do to the detective.

"Sto-!"

"Why don't you be a good kid and stay down?"

Tendou's voice dropped an octave when he finally pulled Kageyama's arm up to an angle and stomped hard on his elbow. There was a loud crack followed by a shout of pain filling the warehouse. Suga flinched at the sound and squinted to look at them.

Tendou had dropped Kageyama's arm, which was now bending at an awkward angle, and the young detective immediate cradled the arm, face void of any colour now. The redhead stepped over him to face him once again and Kageyama could only manage a weak glare which made Tendou laugh.

"Taichi," he called out and Kawanishi walked over Kageyama, grabbing onto the back of his coat, forcing the younger man to sit up. Kageyama let out a strangled hiss of pain which the two men paid no heed to. He was sweating profusely, his eyes half-opened from the pain as he tried to fight the darkness that was overcoming him.

Tendou then turned to face Suga, walking over him and grabbing him by his hair. Suga gasped in pain. "We don't have much time now. Where did you hide the files?" Tendou asked.

The florist gave him a mocking smile. "You're going to have to kill me," he said and saw Tendou's eye twitch. He didn’t manage to see the hand that went straight past his cheek, the slap echoing in the warehouse and his cheek stinging. His head moved along with the impact although the redhead’s grip on his hair was still bruisingly painful. Suga could taste the coppery blood in his mouth and proceeded to spit it out to the ground. He then lifted his eyes to Tendou’s bug-like eyes, mocking smile still in place. Tendou clicked his tongue.

"This is getting annoying," the redhead muttered before turning back to Kawanishi. "Taichi, kill the rat."

Suga's widened when he saw the sandy-haired man pull out a long, thin knife from inside his jacket. Kageyama was breathing hard, eyes squeezed close from the pain of his wound and broken arm. He was so out of it that he didn't flinch when the knife ghosted the side of his neck, leaving beads of red blood in their wake. Suga turned back to Tendou and realised the man was watching him.

"You tell me where you kept the files, or the kid dies," he threatened and Suga bit down his bloodied bottom lip, fear and guilt creeping up on him.

"D-don't.."

Suga and Tendou whipped their heads to the sound of Kageyama's weak voice. The detective no longer had his eyes closed - they were bearily on Suga.

"D-don't," he repeated and Suga could hear his heart pounding in his chest. "Don't tell these fuckers..."

Suga heard Tendou snarl, all semblance of patience crumbling, and barked at Kawanishi, "Taichi, just kill him already! I'll beat it of Koushi here." Suga's eyes widened in horror when Kawanishi finally nodded drawing the knife away before gripping it hard, poised towards Kageyama's chest. He tried to move- but Tendou was still gripping onto his hair painfully. He saw the blue of Kageyama's eyes dull before he closed them, his breaths short. The gleaming surface of the knife reflected off his pallid skin and Suga could hear his heart pounding hard in his ears.

"Stop-!"

He was interrupted by the warehouse's door slamming open and lights steaming in. Then a voice shouted:

"Police! Don't move!"

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for all your kudos, comments and subs!
> 
> Here's the second last chapter!

Daichi jumped out of the car the moment Kuroo barely stepped on the brakes, handgun ready. The industrial area by the Tokyo Bay was gloomy, with long shadows blanketing the area, the weak morning light unable to penetrate the dim area. It was surprisingly empty too, though Daichi supposed it was still too early before the first shifts start working.

Shiratorizawa Corporation's warehouse was situated in one of the older buildings in the area. It was multi-storeyed and unguarded when Daichi, Kuroo and several police officers flanked the entrance from the sides.

"Kageyama said he saw them enter the third floor where they keep the sports equipment," Kuroo muttered into Daichi's ear who nodded, signalling the rest of the officers to follow him up the stairs.

The group made their way slowly and quietly up the stairs, eyes sharp, looking for any signs of movement. Daichi then caught sight of a figure at the landing on the second floor and motioned the group to stop. He heard Kuroo suck in a breath and he eyed his partner. There was a silent communication between them before Kuroo nodded, gold eyes sharp, as he crept up towards the figure with a grace akin to that of a cat's. The figure's back was facing them, slumped on the floor but Daichi waited until Kuroo circled it before pausing, handgun at the ready. He gave the figure a onceover, nodding to Daichi who nodded back, signalling to an officer.

"Cuff him," he murmured to the officer who nodded and made his way to where Kuroo was. When the figure was turned to face them, Daichi realised that he had seen the man before- he was in the list of personnel closest to Ushijima that Iwaizumi had first supplied them.

A strangled yell suddenly echoed throughout the deserted warehouse. The back of Daichi's neck prickled when he recognised the low tenor voice. He whipped his head to see Kuroo staring at him, eyes wide.

"Kageyama," he mouthed and Daichi's grip on his own handgun tightened. He tore his eyes away from his partner to signal to two of the officers to carry the handcuffed man out of the building. There was the quiet shuffling of feet and the clanking sound of the handcuffs before they left, leaving Daichi, Kuroo, and two more officers. He let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding and looked at Kuroo once again, who pointed to the floor above them.

They crept up the stairs, eyes scanning the landing. There was no one in the hallway, bare saved for the double doors at the end of the hallway. Daichi exchanged a glance with Kuroo once more, his lips pulled to a thin line, and they were by the doors in seconds. They were close enough that they could hear the voices from the other side. Daichi felt his skin crawl when he heard the sound of Tendou's voice muttering indistinctly. It was followed by a weakened lower voice mumbling something and Daichi jolted, recognising it to be Kageyama.

There was a split second of silence before Tendou let out an ugly snarl.

"Taichi, just kill him already! I'll beat it of Koushi here."

Daichi's eyes widened. He could hear blood pounding in his was and didn't think twice before he was pushing the door open, Kuroo mirroring him with the other door, gun out and eyes landing on the redhead the moment the doors gave way.

"Police! Don't move!" He yelled and saw all four occupants of the warehouse turning in their direction, expressions showing various degrees of surprise.

He caught sight of pale hair and Daichi felt his heart stop when he saw Suga on the floor, face bruised and swollen, blood caking his face. Before he could say anything, he saw a grimace of pain flashed across the florist's face as he was dragged onto his feet by his hair by Tendou, who shielded himself behind the other man, a gun under Suga’s jaw. He glanced and saw Kawanishi with an arm wrapped round Kageyama in front of him who was looking deathly pale and breaths shallow. There was a glinting silver by his neck and Daichi took note of the knife pointed at the younger detective's neck.

"Well, well, well," There was a sickly malice laced in the words Tendou uttered and Daichi focused his attention back to the redhead to find a ghost of a smirk gracing his lips. "Look what the rat brought in."

Tendou's eyes then flickered to Kuroo and he pouted exaggeratingly. "Really, Tetsurou-kun? After all we went through to give you some friendly advice? Don't you care what will happen to Kei-kun?"

Daichi could feel tension pouring out of his partner beside him. "Don't," Kuroo snarled. "Don't address him so casually. You'll be dead before you could touch a hair on his head."

There was a full on smirk on Tendou's face right now as he gave a low chuckle. "Who said I was the one that will have the honour of laying my hands on Kei-kun?"

There was a pause and Daichi eyed Kuroo from the corner of his eye. His partner's form was rigid, tense, and there was a murderous expression on his face. His gold eyes were dark and the snarl on his face made him look more feral.

"Kuroo," Daichi called out sharply and just like that, the tension in the taller detective's shoulders snapped. He took a deep shuddering breath as he relaxed, eyes focused now instead of enraged.

"Aw," Tendou, who had seen the rage dissipate, jutted his bottom lip out in a pout. His eyes refocused on Daichi. "You're such a killjoy, Sawamura-kun. I'd have liked to see Tetsurou-kun here lose his shit."

"Shut it," Daichi snarled, grip impossibly tighter on his gun. He tore his eyes from the redhead for a moment to look at the fair-haired man held hostage. Suga watched the whole exchange through clenched teeth, his breaths coming out shallowly. Their eyes met briefly and Daichi tried to communicate silently to the other man.

_It's okay._

Tendou shifted, pressing the handgun under Suga's jaw and sighed loudly, drawing the detectives' attention back to him. "You know," he began, "I got to hand it to you, detectives. The fact that you managed to dig out this much about us is commendable." He smirked, locking gazes with Daichi once again who chuckled humourlessly.

"We try," Daichi said. "But you must be losing your touch if we have managed to find out so much, huh Tendou?" It was more of Kuroo's nature to provoke others, but Daichi couldn't help himself feeling a grim sense of satisfaction when Tendou's fake pout fell and replaced with a thin line. His eyes gleamed dangerously as his grip tightened its hold on Suga's hair, earning a pained hiss from the florist.

"What do you know," Tendou said flatly, "Wakatoshi-kun's been trying to lead us to success for years. Yet people kept betraying us." He paused, tilting his head slightly as if trying to remember something. "First it was that employee from the R&D department, trying to smuggle the records out to the media. Then the intern, threatening to blab out to the police about that employee's death. And Kenji-kun, who wouldn't spill about the files he stole even after we beat him black and blue."

Daichi saw Suga stiffened at the mention of Futakuchi's name but paid little mind to it. His blood was pounding in his ears. "Are you confessing to killing them?" He asked slowly. He saw Tendou's shoulder tremble slightly before he threw his head back to let out a bark of laughter, his grip on Suga's hair loosening minutely.

"It was me!" The redhead cackled. "I guessed their intentions and I was right! I was the one who threw Fukunaga-kun off the building! I messed with the breaks of the intern's car! And," Tendou's voice dropped an octave as he yanked Suga's hair hard, exposing the column of his neck as his head was pulled backwards. The florist winced and the redhead bent forward, pressing his lips lightly to the other man's ear, making Daichi's skin crawl watching the display. Tendou's eyes never left Daichi's as he parted his lips and uttered, "I was the one to beat dear Kenji-kun until he stopped breathing. Taichi helped, of course."

The detective saw Suga's face crumpled at the confession, though in his eyes he saw that the florist had already known or found out the truth before then. The fair-haired man lowered his gaze, but not before locking with Daichi's for a split second. He then took a shuddering breath which caught his assailant's attention.

"Aww," Tendou cooed mockingly. "Are you crying, Koushi-kun?" he punctuated his question with a shake of his hand that was gripping Suga still. Suga didn't whimper at the pain but kept his head down all the same, his shoulders shuddering slightly. Daichi felt his chest ache at the sight and his bruising grip on the gun tightened considerably. Tendou was still focusing his attention on the florist, smirking as he breathed into his ear.

"Don't worry," he cooed to the florist once more, raising his hand gun to press it under Suga's chin. Daichi's eyes widened as he tried to take a step forward. "You'll see him soon," the redhead continued, eyes wild and gleaming.

"Tendo-!"

“AAARGHHHHH!”

A strangled yelp cut into the tense atmosphere.

Daichi, startled, turned to find Kageyama engaged in a struggle with Kawanishi, trying to push the knife out of the sandy-haired man's hand. Kawanishi's eyes were wide in surprise - he certainly didn't expect the weak Kageyama to put up such a fight. Daichi took a step forward before Kuroo flung his hand out to him, running towards the fighting pair with one of the officers. The detective turned to Tendou to find the man staring at the other two as well, mouth slack. His gun was no longer pressing onto Suga's jaw who- Daichi realised with a jolt- was staring at him determinedly. He realised immediately what the florist had in mind.

He wasted no time in charging towards Tendou and Suga just as Suga yanked his head away from Tendou's grip. It was like everything was in slow motion for Daichi as he saw pain flitting across Suga's bruised features as he ducked out of the way. How Tendou's eyes widened in surprise at the missing weight in his palm as he turned away from Kageyama and Kawanishi. How he raised his gun and pointed towards Suga on the floor just as Daichi dove in and tackled the redhead around the middle.

The two men landed on the ground painfully. Tendou groaned, winded, as he landed on his back, Daichi's full weight on him. He recovered just enough to point the gun at the detective - but it was too late - Daichi gripped his wrist tightly to get him to release his weapon. He got off the redhead, turning him roughly over and bringing his arms to his back roughly.

"Tendou Satori," Daichi said, sounding a bit winded himself as he cuffed the redhead. "You're under arrest for the murders of Fukunaga Shouhei, Futakuchi Kenji as well as for attempted murder of Sugawara Koushi, among other things." Tendou laid on the ground, his cheek resting on the concrete as he glared at the detective, lips curling. Daichi ignored him to look at Suga a few meters away, being attended by the other police officer who was calling for back up and an ambulance. Suga looked over to him, lips flat as he nodded towards him. Daichi let out a breath of relief and turned the other side to find his partner cuffing Kawanishi on the floor, Kageyama breathing heavily as the other police officer laid him back in the floor, pressing onto his stab wound. He caught the younger detective's eye who then gave him a grimace that looked as though he was constipated and Daichi couldn't help when a chuckle escaped him.

It was over.

 

 

 

The stench of antiseptic permeated the air and filled his lungs when Suga woke up a few hours later. He hissed in pain when the fluorescent light pierced through his eyelids and lifted a hand over his head. His arm felt heavy and he cracked an eye to find it bandaged extensively, with splinters to set his broken fingers straight. They throbbed but he couldn't feel any pain - the painkillers were doing their job. He sighed, putting his hand down once he had grown accustomed to the light.

A movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and Suga jolted, hissing in pain that shot through his ribs. He pressed gingerly on his wrapped chest, blinking back a tear of pain that managed to escape. Then, a large warm hand was placed gently on his shoulder and Suga snapped his head up to face a familiar large man with white hair. Suga remembered belatedly that he had demanded to be able to make a phone call when the paramedics ushered him into the ambulance before he lost consciousness and he visibly relaxed.

"Aone," he greeted, voice hoarse from the lack of use. Aone nodded in greeting, turning to the side table to pour Suga a glass of water which the florist graciously accepted.

They sat in silence for a moment before Suga parted his lips, eyes on the glass in his hands.

"Did you bring it?"

Aone eyed him for a moment before he brought his hand to the inner pockets of his jacket, pulling out a small ziplock bag. Inside it lay a small flash drive, the one Futakuchi had left for Suga before he disappeared. The one where Suga opened after his funeral, finding out the truth of Futakuchi's dealings with Shiratorizawa. The one Suga knew was too dangerous to be in his possession that he asked Aone to hide it. With a shaky hand, Suga took the bag from Aone, letting out a breath as he stared at the seemingly non-threatening item. He tore his eyes from the flash drive to lock gazes with the bigger man.

"Thank you," he whispered and Aone's gaze softened. He placed a large hand on Suga's shoulder once again, giving it a soft squeeze and nodded, before he turned away.

"Goodbye, Sugawara-san," he mumbled, nodding once more before leaving the hospital room. Just as he reached for the door, the knob rattled and the door swung open, and Daichi entered the room, eyes wide as he took in Aone's appearance. They nodded to each other in greeting and the bigger man finally left, leaving the detective and Suga in the room.

Suga ducked his head to stare at his hands. He felt his heart beating hard on his chest and felt heat rise up to his cheeks. Daichi cleared his throat and the florist jerked, willing the colour on his cheeks away. The detective took a few tentative steps towards his bed and Suga looked up only to be greeted by a tentative smile by the detective.

"How are you?" He asked gently and Suga wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around the other man. Still, he gripped onto the ziplock bag tightly and smiled.

"I've felt better," Suga replied half-teasingly and Daichi seemed to relax, his smile more genuine. The fair-haired man felt his breath caught in his throat at the sight and felt tears welling in his eyes. He couldn't help the guilty feeling coiling in his stomach from his actions that had led to this outcome. He cleared his throat, took in a deep breath and raised the clear bag with the flash drive to the detective. Daichi looked at it in confusion before Suga spoke.

"This was given to me by Kenji before he went missing," he noted the surprised look in the detective's face and felt his chest tightened. "It contains all information regarding the bogus antibiotics including the life threatening side effects. It also contains the transactions between the company and illegal vendors."

Daichi's mouth was parted as he wordlessly held out a hand to Suga who promptly dropped the flash drive in his hand as though the tiny item had scalded him. The detective was quiet for a moment.

"Suga," he whispered. "... Thanks."

Suga shook his head, forcing a smile on his face. "Thank you, Daichi. For saving me," he said softly, pretending to not notice how his voice wobbled slightly.

Later when Daichi left his room to review the flash drive, Suga leaned into his mattress, tears slipping down his cheeks. He took a shuddering breath, thinking of what he should do from now on.

 

 

 

Shiratorizawa Corporation has always prided itself in its efficient and fast paced environment. Employees worked intently, never wasting a second for idle chitchats that one would usually find at other companies.

Today however, the lobby was full of chatter, employees clustered together, eyes following the group of police officers that had walked in, led by an elderly chief detective. The receptionist could only gape as she directed them to the elevator, pressing the intended floor before stepping out, eyes wide.

It was no different once they reached the intended floor. Eyes were on the group of law enforcement officers, work forgotten. The buzzing grew when the chief stepped in front of Ushijima Wakatoshi's office and entered without knocking.

Ushijima raised his head from his paperwork, his eyes taking in the group that had joined him and his secretary in his office. His eyes landed on the chief and nodded in greeting.

"Chief Nekomata," he greeted, his deep voice reverberated in the office. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Chief Nekomata gave him a smile before looking around the office. "This is a nice place you got, Ushijima," he said conversationally, causing the CEO to raise an eyebrow. "It must've been hard to maintain it."

Ushijima was quiet for a moment before he replied. "Yes. But may I ask the reason for your visit?"

There was a slight edge to his voice that the chief couldn't help but smile at. Ushijima wasn't planning on beating about the bush. He sighed and took out a slip of paper, unfolding it and passing it to Ushijima who took it questioningly.

"This is an arrest warrant. For you." Chief Nekomata said and Ushijima's eyes widened, thick eyebrows raised to almost his hairline. He opened his mouth but the chief cut him off. "Ushijima Wakatoshi, you are under arrest for company fraud, abuse of company funds as well as being an accessory to the murders of Futakuchi Kenji and Fukunaga Shouhei."

"You have no proof," Ushijima countered a little too quickly and the chief couldn't help the smirk on his face as he shrugged non-committedly.

"I'm sure we have more than enough proof to write this building to the ground," he said lightly as two officers walked forward to the shocked CEO, handcuffs out.

Ushijima remained passive, eyes boring into the chief's. Moments passed, before he finally stood up and walked around his table to the officers. The chief smiled.

"I've finally got you, you bastard."

 

When the group of police officers stepped out of the elevator at the lobby with Ushijima Wakatoshi handcuffed, the murmurings became louder, with everyone abandoning all pretence of working. Eyes wide, smartphones were whipped out as they watched the most powerful man in Tokyo being escorted out of the building and eased into a police car.

 

 

 

_"The number you have dialed is not avail--"_

"Fuck!"

Semi Eita seethed at his phone, his grip on it was so tight his knuckles were white. He slinked away from his colleagues and slipped out into the emergency stairway, climbing down as quickly as possible.

He only had so much time before word would get out on his involvement with Shiratorizawa. He cursed Shirabu under his breath - it had been the plan for the two of them to regroup should anything happen to the company. But the little shithead had disappeared the moment the arrest warrant for Ushijima was approved and Semi had no way of getting hold of the young lawyer.

He chucked his phone into the bin as he reached another set of landing. Whatever it was, he had to get out of here. The original plan was no longer valid, since Shirabu had abandoned him. Semi swore to get back at that little asshole should he ever see him again. He would have to hide out for a while, disappear until the dust had settled on this case to get back on his feet.

He paused when he reached the ground floor landing, ears straining to hear past the door to the hallway outside. There was silence save for the erratic pounding of his heart in his ears. Then slowly, he eased the door from the frame, until it was slightly ajar as he surveyed the surroundings.

It was empty.

Semi slipped in, pressing himself against the wall. The back entrance was blessedly nearby and was almost always empty. He slinked backwards, ears sharp for any footsteps coming his way. No one came to the back to the building and Semi let it a sigh of relief. He turned to the back door and pushed it open--

And came face to face with Kuroo Tetsurou.

Semi growled and turned, only to realised he had been surrounded on all sides by several police officers. He turned back to Kuroo who watched him with detached interest. For some reason he couldn't help the humourless laughter that bubbled out of his throat.

"So this is it, huh?" He asked with a grimace.

Kuroo smirked as he stepped forward, a pair of handcuffs in his hands. "For you, that is," The detective said, before his smirk disappeared, expression now serious. "Hands up."

Semi let out another humourless chuckle before raising his hands in surrender, not finding it in him to resist.

 

 

 


	12. bitter/sweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it.
> 
> Enjoy.

> **SHIRATORIZAWA CORPORATION CEO ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION**
> 
> Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested 27-year-old Shiratorizawa Corporation CEO Ushijima Wakatoshi on suspicion of fraud yesterday afternoon, Fukuro Times reports.
> 
> Sources revealed that Ushijima has had illegal dealings with vendors on the production of the new antibiotics which was scheduled for release at the end of this month.
> 
> A police spokesman said the arrest was made following protracted investigations.
> 
> Several employees of Shiratorizawa Corporation has also been arrested for intimidation, assault and murder.
> 
> Tendou Satori, 27, was arrested for the first-degree murders of Futakuchi Kenji who was found dead at Tokyo Bay early last month, and Fukunaga Shouhei, whose death until recently was believed to be suicide. He was arrested after eyewitnesses confirmed he and his accomplice abducted a civilian in yesterday morning. His accomplice, 26-year-old Kawanishi Taichi, was also arrested on scene.
> 
> Shiratorizawa Corporation spokesperson has declined to comment.

 

 

 

Daichi walked towards Kageyama's hospital room, feeling oddly light. It had been a long time since he felt at ease, without the persistent reminder of a case at the corner of his mind. He had eaten, slept well and had taken a long shower this morning.

It was over.

The truth of Futakuchi's death had been unveiled, and in turn, had dug up the dark secrets of a big organisation. His colleagues in the office had praised him and Kuroo for the job well done but Daichi, ever the humble one, insisted they were merely doing their job.

His back straight, a light skip in his step (which he would later deny to Kuroo. Daichi _didn't_ skip), he was reaching the slight ajar door of Kageyama's hospital room, a milk yogurt drink in his hand when he heard raised voices from the room.

The detective paused, standing right outside the door, listening to the voices, one raised and the other muted.

"You're such an idiot, Kageyama! Only an idiot like you would rush in without back up!"

It was Hinata. Daichi couldn't help the smirk gracing his lips. Kageyama had been lectured by the chief the day before while Kuroo had promptly smacked him in the head the moment he was placed on the stretcher in the ambulance. The paramedics weren't too pleased with the messy-haired detective after that - they didn't think Kageyama needed any more injuries apart from his stab wound and broken arm.

"You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Hinata's voice brought Daichi's attention back to the conversation. He thought he heard a slight waver in the intern's voice and wondered if he should step in.

"I'm _fine_."

Kageyama said irritatibly, to which Hinata snorted.

"You're okay now! But what about next time? What if you get killed?"

"Shut up, Hinata," Daichi heard Kageyama growl but Hinata chose to ignore him.

"Do you want to die that badly? You're really an- mmpf!"

Daichi raised an eyebrow at the sudden silence from the room. What happened? Maybe Kageyama threw a pillow in his face. But Hinata still hadn't said anything after a moment had passed and Daichi grew worried. Various scenarios ran through his head, most of them involving Kageyama strangling the short intern.

Then he heard a soft whimper.

_Oh my God_ , Daichi thought, heart hammering in his chest. _He really was getting killed in there_.

Without thinking, Daichi yanked the door open, a shout ready in his throat -- and froze.

Eyes wide, mouth slack, Daichi stared at the two younger men in the room. They weren't fighting. No, they were far from doing that.

Kageyama was propped up on his hospital bed, with Hinata straddling his thighs. Hands were roaming all over their bodies while their lips met in an intense kiss with tongue and saliva that made the tips of Daichi's ears hot. They didn't seemed to have noticed the detective at the door, too engrossed in their make out session.

It wasn't until Kageyama's unbroken hand slid under the orange-haired man's shirt, earning him a soft whimper that Daichi involuntarily let out a sound from the back of his throat. Almost immediately the two men's snapped open and Hinata jolted out of Kageyama's touch. His feet were tangled into the sheets and he fell backwards off the bed with a yelp.

Kageyama hadn't moved an inch throughout the whole ordeal. He was staring at Daichi, eyes wide in horror as his face turned blue. Daichi suspected he must have stopped breathing. "Erm," the detective cleared his throat, trying to look anywhere but the bed where Hinata had finally picked himself up, his face so red it clashed with his hair.

"I'll come by later," Daichi finished lamely and before the two young could gather themselves, he shut the door and walked down the hallway until the room was no longer in sight. He slowed down when he reached the visitor waiting room and let out a long breath he hadn't realised he was holding. He thought about the look on the two youngerr men's faces and a bubble of laughter escaped his throat involuntarily. It was a hilarious situation, with Kageyama turning almost purple and Hinatas wide, frightened eyes, looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

His laughter died out and he sighed, a smile on his face. He was happy for them. He wouldn't say it was unexpected, but he wouldn't also say he had seen it coming. With Kageyama's very strict work ethics,it didn't hurt for him to have a distraction in his life for once.

"Yo," A familiar, deep voice floated from behind him and Daichi turned to find Kuroo walking towards him, expression relaxed. Daichi raised a hand in greeting and smiled when his partner was beside him.

"Came to see Kageyama too, huh?" Kuroo asked, eyeing the milk yogurt carton Daichi belatedly remembered he was gripping. "I gave him the same thing just moment ago. Hinata-kun was there as well."

There was a teasing sort of tone in his voice that got Daichi to glare at his now smirking partner as he tried to fight the blush threatening to form on his cheeks. Kuroo didn't miss it though, for his smirk has gotten wider as he steered Daichi to a plastic seat.

"So," kuroo snickered, settling next to Daichi. "Judging from your virgin reaction, you must've caught the pair doing the deed eh. Impressive, even for Kageyama."

Daichi choked on his spit. Coughing, he continued glaring at Kuroo. "Don’t be crude," he wheezed and his partner chuckled.

"About time too, they've been dancing around each other for months."

"Was it that obvious?"

Kuroo rolled his eyes, although his smirked remained on his face. "Sawamura, anyone that is not you can see they have the hots for each other."

Daichi made a noise of protest but Kuroo interrupted him.

"I'm happy for them," Kuroo said, a genuine smile on his face. Daichi was taken aback by how sincere his partner was that he couldn't help the smile on his own face.

"You’re such a sap, Kuroo," he teased and Kuroo laughed.

"How are you and Tsukishima?" He then asked, sparing a glance at Kuroo's expression. He watched as his gold eyes softened as though he was thinking about his younger lover, and his smile was bright.

"We're good," he said and there was no lie in his words. "We're better than good actually. We finally sat and talked. Kei also said that Kenma texted him as well saying something like 'please talk to Kuro I want him out of my office'".

Kuroo chuckled and Daichi grinned, feeling his partner's happiness seeping into his own being. He gave Kuroo a rough pat on his shoulder, chuckling lightly.

"I'm glad."

And he was. He could still remember when he met Kuroo all those years ago, pining for a younger university student he had met when he was doing his police rounds in the area. He remembered how happy his partner had been for days after he had met up Tsukishima, no matter how short their times spent together. And how Tsukishima gradually opened up to Kuroo, letting him in. It wasn't a smooth journeys, but Daichi could see that they love each other very much.

His thoughts then went to Suga and his smile dimmed slightly.

He hadn't seen the florist since the day before when he had been given the incriminating evidence of Shiratorizawa's crimes. It had been a brief conversation, but it was enough for Daichi to notice how withdrawn Suga was with him. Every time their eyes had met, Daichi's stomach churned at the sight of the unshed tears at the corner of his eyes.

As though Kuroo could read his thoughts, he asked, "How’s Sugawara?"

Daichi took a moment to reply. "He's in stable condition, the nurse said. But I haven't had the time to sit and talk with him."

His partner hummed in understanding and Daichi sighed again. He eyed Kuroo wearily before continuing. "He was acting weird."

Kuroo turned to fully face him, expression curious. "How so?"

Daichi swallowed, thinking back once again to Suga's actions and gave a small shrug. "He seemed... Distant. He couldn't look me in the eye when we spoke briefly yesterday."

Kuroo had listened to Daichi without interrupting and seemed to be thinking deeply when he had finished. They sat in silence for a moment, Daichi not knowing of he should continue before Kuroo spoke slowly.

"Remember the robbery case years back which Tsukki was dragged into?" He asked, his nickname for Tsukishima slipped in effortlessly and Daichi nodded, remembering that it happened just before Kuroo and the university student got together.

"That was just before you were made detective as well, right?"

Kuroo nodded absently as he stretched out in the plastic seat, slouching slightly while his long legs straightened. "Honestly, after what he had gone through during the case, I felt guilty. I felt that it was my fault he got involved in the mess and I tried to pull myself away, thinking it was safer if I distanced myself from him."

Daichi turned his head to look at Kuroo in surprise. He honestly hadn't known that what had happened between the two wasn't as simple as he thought it had seemed. He swallowed, "And then what happened?"

His question was met with a chuckle from the other man, whose eyes were unseeing, probably thinking back at the memory.

"Tsukki, surprisingly, was having none of that nonsense. He even told me to 'man up and take responsibility'," he punctuated his sentence with air quotes, his smile wide on his face and Daichi couldn't help but smile as well.

"That's unexpected."

Kuroo nodded, still smiling. "I was shocked, but I'm glad he pulled me back. I'd have regretted it if I had walked away."

He turned to face Daichi, expression void from the usual playfulness. "So, Sawamura, don't regret any decisions you're gonna make."

 

 

 

Daichi stood at the door of Suga's hospital room, hand poised to knock. He hesitated for a moment, Kuroo's words echoing in his mind before he took a deep breath and knocked. There was a split second of silence before a soft "come in" was heard. Daichi gripped onto the door knob tightly, swallowed deeply and entered the room.

Suga was propped up on his hospital bed with a book in his hand. He looked up when Daichi had entered and the detective noted with a sinking feeling the florist's unreadable expression. He gave him a small, unsure smile.

"Hey."

"Hi," Suga replied and gave a smile which didn't reach his hazel eyes. His lips were stretched thin on his face, too wide to be genuine and Daichi noted his white knuckles on the grip of his book. Suga must have noticed his gaze for he closed the book and placed it at the side table without looking at him before keeping his closed hands on top of his blanket.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked and Daichi was caught off guard by the nonchalant air the fair-haired man was attempting to exude. The detective searched his face to find it guarded but noticed a slight tremble at Suga's bottom lip. He sucked in a breath and walked tentatively to the side of the bed.

"How are you doing?" Daichi asked hesitantly and his heart sank just a bit when the fake smile stretched wider on the florist's face.

"Better than yesterday. At least the swelling has gone down."

It has, Daichi agreed as he noted the less puffy bruises on Suga's face. He raised a hand towards Suga, fingertips just barely grazing the skin near his hair when the florist flinched away, turning his head to look down at his hands, his hair now a curtain between him and Daichi. Daichi brought his hand back quickly as though he had been burned, his eyes wide while something unpleasant twisted in his stomach.

"Suga-"

"I decided," Suga cut him off, his voice clear while his grip on his blanket was knuckle white. "That I'm going to sell off the flower shop."

Daichi paused, confused. He raised his eyebrows questioningly but Suga was not looking at him still. He heard the florist take in a deep breath before he spoke again.

"I'm going to sell the shop," he repeated. "With Kenji gone and Ushijima now arrested, I can't handle the shop on my own. I don't have the means to." His voice tapered off slightly but Daichi could tell he wasn't finished.

"And I'm going to sell the apartment as well."

Surprised, the detective looked on as Suga slowly raised his head to look at him. He saw a forced smile on his face and unshed tears at the corner of his eyes. Daichi swallowed, raising his hand once again.

"Suga...”

"I need to move on, so," Suga paused, pressing his lips together although his chin trembled. "...Thank you for everything, Daichi."

It was like having a knife stabbed into his chest and twisted hard. Daichi couldn't breathe, his eyes were wide and his mouth parted in disbelief. Despite everything, Daichi failed to realise the possibility of Suga pushing him away. He swallowed, as he thought about Kuroo's situation before.

But he wasn't Kuroo and Suga wasn't Tsukishima, and looking at the injuries the fair-haired man was sporting, Daichi couldn't help the feelings of guilt that washed over him. Suga was hurt because of this case, and if he needed space and for Daichi to back off, he couldn't form an argument to deny it.

He clenched his raised hand and slowly brought it back down to his side. Suga watched him through shiny hazel eyes and Daichi swallowed, wishing he could just reach out to hold the florist. The detective took a step back and heard Suga suck in a shaky breath, his eyes glassy with tears that were threatening to spill. Daichi felt his chest ache but straightened his back, forcing himself to give the fair-haired man a small smile.

"Take care of yourself, Sugawara-san," he whispered and that was the last thing Suga needed for the tears to fall, streaking his pale and bruised cheeks with tear tracks. He nodded and tried giving Daichi a wobbly smile but Daichi could no longer bear to look, turning his back to him and walking towards the door.

He had his hand on the doorknob when Suga whispered shakily, "I wished we could've met under different circumstances."

An unfamiliar feeling crawled up Daichi's chest that threatened to break the dam he had so desperately tried to keep up. Clenching his fists, he tried to keep his shoulders from trembling. "Me too," he replied and left the room without a backward glance, a sob from Suga was the last thing he heard from him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**_6 months later_ **

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yo."

Daichi looked up from his report to find his partner grinning down at him, his hand up in a mock salute. Raising an eyebrow, Daichi stood up, lightly smacking the side of Kuroo's arm with a folder.

"I thought you're still on leave till Thursday?" Daichi asked and Kuroo chuckled, rubbing the area where the folder had hit him.

"I am on leave still," the taller detective replied, "But we were in the area and since we're going out for drinks with Akaashi and Bokuto, I figured we might as well hang around here till Akaashi's done with his shift."

It was only then that Daichi noticed a taller but thinner figure behind his partner, looking around the office with masked disinterest. He caught Tsukishima's eye and the younger man nodded in greeting.

"It’s been a while, Sawamura-san," Tsukishima, ever so polite to people he didn't really know, greeted. Kuroo had left to find Matsukawa, leaving the two standing awkwardly. Daichi gave a small smile.

"Congratulations on finishing graduate school," Daichi said at last, his smile wider. Tsukishima nodded, though there was a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"Thank you."

"And congratulations on your new apartment with Kuroo."

The tips of the younger man's ears were bright red and Daichi laughed at the embarrassed look Tsukishima had on his face as he whispered his thanks. Their conversation was cut short when Kuroo called out "Kei!” while waving at the pair from Akaashi's desk. The younger detective gave a small wave towards the blond who excused himself before heading over towards them.

Daichi watched as Kuroo wrapped his arm round Tsukishima when the taller man had reached them, pecking him on the cheek. He chuckled as the blond pushed Kuroo's face away, annoyed, but didn't try to move away from under his arm. Tearing his eyes away from them, Daichi settled on his chair to focus on his report once more when the chair beside him squeaked before Kageyama slumped in his seat, grumbling darkly.

He turned to find the younger detective with an annoyed look on his face, glaring in the general direction of Kuroo's group and grinned knowingly. Tsukishima sure knew how to push the younger detective's buttons.

"What did he say this time?" Daichi asked, clearly amused, earning him a glare and a pout from the blue-eyed detective.

"He caught me and Hinata k-kissing in the toilet," he mumbled, the tips of his ears red and Daichi snorted in laughter. Just then, the blond looked over to the two detectives and sent a shit-eating smirk to Kageyama who growled under his breath.

"Why is he here anyway?" He grumbled to himself, snatching a recent folder off his desk before stalking out of the office, pointedly ignoring Tsukishima. Daichi watched, amused still, until Kageyama was out of sight before he turned back to his report. He only managed to type a few more sentences before Kuroo came over once more, plopping himself on his chair opposite Daichi.

"So," His partner began as casually as he could, pulling up a random folder on his desk as he pretended to read. "Will you be joining us for drinks later?”

"Hmm," Daichi hummed before giving Kuroo a small smile. "Thanks for the invite, but I'll pass. Maybe next time."

Kuroo scoffed. "That's what you said last time too. Sawamura, you haven’t been out of your apartment in months besides going to work."

It was true. Daichi had thrown himself back to work as soon as he could, trying to ignore the large hole in his chest that was left behind after the Shiratorizawa case was closed. Most times he would be too busy at work to think about it and would promptly pass out in exhaustion the moment he reached home. But when he had some moments to himself, his thoughts would land on a certain fair-haired man and his chest would squeeze uncomfortably.

He hasn't heard from Suga since that day at the hospital. The florist was discharged within the week and had promptly sold off the flower shop and his apartment. Daichi had walked past the street in Shibuya once to find the display glass all boarded up, not a single flower in sight. It wasn't like he couldn't contact him at all - his number was still saved in Daichi's phone and he knew his friends who were working at the Crow's Nest. But the words Suga had uttered on that day banished all thoughts of contacting the florist.

Suga wanted to move on, and Daichi was part of his past. Daichi wasn't selfish enough to pull him back.

"Sawamura?"

Daichi snapped out of his thoughts to find Kuroo watching him intently. He gulped, pulling himself together to give his partner a hesitant smile. Kuroo stared at him a moment longer, the crease in his eyebrows deepened as he let out an agitated sigh.

"Okay, that's it," Kuroo started, a hand digging into his pants pocket. "Dude, you need to stop moping around."

"I'm not moping-"

"If you knew you were going to be this miserable, why did you let him go?"

Daichi opened his mouth to protest but Kuroo had removed his hand from his pocket, slamming a folded piece of paper on top of his desk. Daichi eyed the paper wearily. “What’s that?"

His partner sighed before giving him a smirk. "Since I'm a kind person and your best bud in this office, I'll help you out."

"Wha-"

"So I bumped into Iwaizumi a few weeks back and went out for drinks with him. Apparently he has a new squeeze."

"Huh?" Daichi raised an eyebrow, mouth opened, looking all confused but Kuroo raised his hand, clearly not done talking.

"He seems like an okay guy, a little annoying and too pretty for his own good. He was Kageyama's senior in school as well. Small world, huh?"

"Kuroo," Daichi said lowly, "what are you getting at?"

Kuroo looked at him, gold eyes bright and the smirk still on his lips. "What I'm getting at," he began. "Is that this guy has a drinking buddy, a cram school teacher, whom he'd met up with recently. The teacher got so smashed that he began blabbering about how he regretted pushing away this man he had fallen for months ago."

"And that he was still in love with the detective he had first met in front of the door of his old apartment."

Daichi's mouth hung open as his mind processed Kuroo's words. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears and something fluttered in the deep recesses of his chest. His partner watched him, his gaze softening before getting up, tapping the piece of paper with his index finger. "His work ends at ten," Kuroo said, smiling softly. "The place isn't that far from here."

Daichi stared at the paper, not daring to move while Kuroo patted his shoulder encouragingly. The taller detective then announced his goodbyes to the whole office, with Tsukishima and Akaashi in tow. Daichi sat there for a few moments, before flicking his gaze to the clock on the wall.

It was nine-fifteen in the evening.

With a burst of energy, Daichi shut down his computer, grabbed the paper and his blazer and left the office, a look of determination crossing his face.

 

 

 

The cram school was located in one of the buildings at Yoyogi. Daichi looked up at the tall building and swallowed, before deciding to just wait outside. He leaned against the railing at the sidewalk, watching students streaming out of the building, chattering and laughing as they made their way to the train station. The detective checked his watch- it was five more minutes to ten.

His heart hammered on his chest and he took a deep breath, shivering slightly at the cold spring air. He suddenly wished that he'd brought his gloves - he had forgotten them on his desk in his haste. He sighed as he watched people passing by, when the door of the building opened once more. Daichi looked up and felt his breath caught in his throat.

Walking out of the building was Suga. Bundled in a coat and a scarf, Suga didn't seemed to notice Daichi, his attention was on his bag as he dug into it, looking for something. In the orange glow of the streetlamps, Suga's pale hair shone and his skin glowed and Daichi could feel his heart ache at the sight. He pushed himself from the railing and walked towards Suga who had found what he was looking for, a smile on his face.

He looked up and Daichi met the gaze of the hazel eyes he had missed. He watched as Suga froze, eyes wide and mouth slack, but he didn't move until Daichi was in front of him, a comfortable distance away.

"Hey," he whispered and Daichi could see the longing he felt on Suga's expression.

"Daichi..," The fair-haired man whispered, his eyes wandering all over the detective's face, as if trying to commit it to memory. Daichi too, did the same, gaze brushing over the other man's beauty mark, and the small scar above his eyebrow, a remnant of what had transpired half a year ago. His hand itched to trace it but he clenched his fist tightly before stuffing it in his pocket. Suga noticed the movement and took a hesitant step forward, eyes locked with Daichi.

"What are you doing here?" There was a slight tinge of hope colouring his tone and a sheen of tears in his hazel eyes that made the detective's chest flutter. Daichi took a moment to think before he replied.

"I don't know."

The change in Suga's expression was instantaneous.

Immediately his eyes dulled and he lowered his gaze from Daichi's face. His bottom lip trembled and Daichi realised he worded his intentions wrongly. He unclenched his hand and allowed his finger to lightly trace the faint scar on the other man's skin, who froze at the contact. Daichi sighed.

"At least, I didn't know until I saw you," he continued and Suga raised his eyes, expression cautious.

"What do you mean?" He whispered.

Daichi locked gazes with Suga once again, his hand sliding to cup his cheek. Suga automatically leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering but gaze still locked on Daichi whose heart fluttered at the sight.

"I know you said you wanted to move on," Daichi began, thumb grazing the beauty mark on Suga's face. "And I understand that. That was why I didn't stop you."

"But I wished I had been more selfish then."

A lone tear fell from Suga's eye as his bottom lip trembled. Daichi used his thumb to catch the falling tear, earning him a sharp intake of breath from the other man.

"Daichi," he whispered his name, voice wobbly. His glistening eyes searched the detective's face. "I'm so sorry."

"Suga-"

"I regretted what I did," Suga whispered, bringing a shaky hand up to wrap Daichi's that was resting on his cheek. "I regretted pushing you away," he continued, eyes boring into Daichi's bright behind the tears. “And I regretted not telling you.”

Daichi could hear his heartbeat loud in his ears. “Tell me what?” he asked softly, not daring to hope. Suga’s eyes swept across his face once again before they locked gazes. He let out a puff of air.

"... I love you."

Daichi felt his heart ached as he bent forward towards Suga to capture his lips with his own. The fair-haired man met him halfway, lips sliding over easily, gasping as the tingling sensation that seemed to have shot throughout the bodies from the point of contact. Suga's eyes fluttered shut and Daichi let his own close as well, wrapping his arm round Suga, kissing him languidly.

They stood on the sidewalk, not minding the cold air of the early spring, nor the stares of passers-by muttering about drunkards. They broke apart moments later, breathing deeply. Daichi opened his eyes slowly to find Suga looking at him, stars and tears in his eyes and lips pulled to a genuine smile. His hair shone in the dim lights and Daichi instinctively tightened his hold around the other man. He smiled at Suga before giving his lips a light peck.

"I have been meaning to ask you this since I first met you," Daichi began softly and when Suga looked at him questioningly, the detective grinned. "Do you want to go out on a date with me?"

The fair-haired man blinked, and a moment later, burst out laughing, his voice light and bright and Daichi could feel warmth spreading throughout his entire being when he looked at him once again, tears all gone, cheeks red and smile so wide it hurt.

"I would love to."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for the kudos, comments, and subs. It really means a lot to me that many of you enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it. The ending has always been as it is since I've started writing this.
> 
> This fic is not only the first multi-chaptered HQ fic I've written, it is also the first multi-chaptered fic that I've completed. EVER. With over 40k words, this currently stands as my longest work. 
> 
> I enjoyed writing this AU, and will definitely revisit it. I have plans for a short KuroTsuki prequel, a KageHina oneshot, and an IwaOi spinoff (Oikawa didn't appear in this fic, but he was mentioned a few times. Did you spot him?)
> 
> Once again, thank you all! Without your support, I wouldn't have completed this :D


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